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HOW TO 

KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

FOR 

TOWN OR COUNTRY. 

GIVING 

FULL INSTRUCTION 

FOR CONSTRUCTING A 

Window Garden 

AND THE 

Most Approved Methods for Raising 
Beautiful Flowers at Home. 



A COMPLETE AND USEFUL 
BOOK. 



New York: 

FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

34 and 86 North Moore Street. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, b> 

FRANK TOUSEY, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. ( 



k \ 



1)1 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER . 5 

CHAPTER I. 

THE MINIATURE GREENHOUSE 10 

CHAPTER II. 

HOW TO KEEP WINDOW-PLANTS HEALTHY 12 

CHAPTER III. 

MILD FERNS AND THEIR CULTIVATION (SCOLOPENDRIUM 

VULGARE) .. . ' 17 

CHAPTER IV. 

WILD FERNS AND THEIR CULTIVATION (SCOLOPENDRIUM 

vulgare) {Jdontiuued} 22 

CHAPTER V. 

WILD FERNS AND THEIR CULTIVATION (POLYPODIUM VUL- 
GARE) 24 

CHAPTER VI. 

CHOSEN VARIETIES OF FERNS 25 



iv CHAPTER VIT. 

PAGE 
THE CULTIVATION OF FERNS 26 



CHAPTER VIII. 

MOSSES SUITABLE FOR WINDOW CULTIVATION 29 

CHAPTER IX. 

FLOWERING PLANTS FOR WINDOW CULTIVATION . . . . 31 

CHAPTER X. 

THE CULTIVATION OF SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS .... 33 

CHAPTER XI. 

SPRING-FLOWERING PLANTS 35 

CHAPTER XII. 

SUMMER PLANTS : THE GERANIUM AND FUCHSIA ... 38 

CHAPTER XIII. 

PROPAGATION OF THE FUCHSIA AND GERANIUM .... 41 

CHAPTER XTV. 

AUTUMN-FLOWERING PLANTS 44 

CHAPTER XV. 

AUTUMN-FLOWERING PLANTS J CHINESE PRIMULA, OR CHINA 

PRTMROSE 46 

CHAPTER XVI. 

CULTIVATION OF PLANTS IN WINDOW-BOXES 47 



How to Keep a Window 
Garden. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



As my little book has been written chiefly for the indus- 
trial classes, the plainness of language aimed at required no 
apology from me; but in speaking of flowers, one can hardly 
help rising to a somewhat higher level. As we gaze on their 
exquisite beauties, purer thoughts arise as we contemplate 
them in the quiet lanes and woods, and fain would have them 
to dwell with us at home. The "wee modest daisy" called 
forth a lay, and the analogy which the poet drew remains, 
life-like, in our me.nory to the present day, and will continue 
to do so as long as that "crimson-tipped flower" bedecks 
the mead. 

fc God made the first garden, and in looking upon the hum- 
blest weed that grows, we see in it the handiwork of the Great 
Architect; and although the exact site of the Garden of Eden 
be obscure, yet Paradise is everywhere, and waiteth while 
man willeth. Beautiful flowers are spread out in a boundless 
field for our pure enjoyment, and their localities are as varied 
as their hues. The corn-cockle and the poppy delight to 
revel in the sun: but the fern loves the solitude of the grove, 
in the twilight of the forest ;he moss is its sweet companion. 
Childhood is the type of innocence, and it is always childhood 
with the flowers. Let us wander back to the haunts of early 
youth; when we list we find the blue-bell and the daffodil, as 
in days of yore— divine monitors teaching in silence. Who 
can behold them without delight ? By what mind are they 
counted as a mere daub-ihow, blooming and fading, for no 
end ? Man has done much for man in giving him enjoyable 
recreations, but a*ll his efforts fall short of the holy recreation 
which the Almighty has placed within reach of the humblest 
individual. 

In addressing my fellow working-men, I would first ask 
have you a love for flowers ? If you have, I think that lean 



6 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

help you to increase your enjoyment from such love. Should 
it happen that your love of flowers has been extinguished by 
a thousand drawbacks, I will do my best to rekindle the old 
Jlame. Perhaps it will burn brighter than ever. On the 
•ther hand, if you hare no love for flowers— no love for those 
innocent companions which are never tired of waiting upon 
us— this blindness must result from sheer ignorance. I 
w»uld t ask you to reflect. An hour spent in sweet communion 
is worth hundreds spent in dissipation. Most earnestly do I 
entreat you to enter this beautiful department of nature, not 
merely as spectators, but as possessors. 

It is no dreamy pleasure that I would infuse into your 
minds such as we receire when reading of the gorgeous 
splendor of Eastern cities, where festoons of beautiful flowere 
creep along the quaint balconies, and shoot up ronnd the 
doors and curious windows; where luscious fruit, hanging in 
the rosy sunshinn, wantonly crush their delicacies on the lips 
of the dark-eyed Eastern beauties. The atmosphere of our 
smoky habitations forbids the existence of such enjoyments; 
but reasonable hope may be held out for the embellishment of 
windows of all dwellings, however situated, to be decorated 
with some form of vegetation. In crowded cities where the 
dwellers may nearly shake hands with one another across the 
narrow street that divides their habitations, where the genial 
rays of the sun never penetrate, and where the impurities of the 
air offend the dullest sense, a few plants in the windows help 
to neutralize these facts; and we have only to search the in- 
exhaustible treaiure with which the Creator has clothed the 
universe to fnrnish us with something beautiful for our win- 
dows. What a health-giving pleasure lies before us, free for 
the participation of all; a cup forever overflowing with all 
that is lovely is held toward us by untiring hands, and how- 
ever freely we may drink of it, no grudge awaits our draught, 
for the love of our Creator for us is infinite. 

In advocating the culture of window-plants as a source 
from which no little enjoyment can be received, I am fully 
aware that all those who live in large towns labor under 
too many disadvantages, to enter with any spirit on this inno- 
cent and instructive recreation. To many the greatest 
obstacle is knowledge how to grow window-plants, and the 
want of convenient windows for their cultivation. If these 
obstacles could not be overcome, I might give up the task 
of leading you forward to Flora's temple; but when thousands 
are known in the most unlikely localities, under the most 
adverse circumstances, to cull no little pleasure from her 
bounteous gifts, it gives me the greatest assurance to place 
before you a practical method for acquiring a cultural knowl- 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 7 

edge of plants, and especially to adapt convenient windows 
for their cultivation. 

FOR TOWN AND COUNTRY. 

If I did not know that certain plants, with a little care and 
attention, might be made to grow in windows where the 
straggling rays of light from the blue vault of heaven are 
toned down to a dingy hue, as well as in mansions where fair 
lawns stretch undulatingly away to the far-off hills, and um- 
brageous trees wave in the open sunshine, depend upon it I 
would never have undertaken this task. The greatest doubt 
with which my mind is possessed, is to be able to persuade 
some who are very dubious on the subject to begin the culti- 
vation of window-plants— those who can see no beauty in the 
quiet enjoyment of a pipe and a glass of home-brewed by 
their own window-side, but leave ail for the tinsel happiness 
of the noisy tavern. But, after all, I am solaced with the 
thought that my little book may be of some service to those 
who have already joined the pursuit of floriculture as a recre- 
ation. 

Under present circumstances, the artisan, or humble 
florist, however much he may have the love of flowers at 
heart, is much restrained in his ambition to grow a few 
plants, from the fact that his window affords little scope for 
their cultivation. At the best the cultivators of window- 
plants have but room for two or three specimens, which are 
either placed on the window sill, or on brackets higher up 
the window, circumstances which almost bid defiance to any 
training of a plant except a one-sided specimen. Then, 
again, the plants are continually receiving the dust of the 
household, which, combined with the full glare of gas by 
night, very soon brings the plants to assume a sickly appear- 
ance, entailing considerable care and attention on the part 
of the cultivator to keep them in a healthy condition. That 
being the case, it is not to be wondered at why the cultivators 
of window-plants proceed with the pursuit in a blow hot, blow 
cold sort of way. When the markets are teeming with the 
attributes of spring, they are induced to purchase a plant or 
two. Exultingly the plants are carried home, assigned the 
sunniest place in the window, and duly killed with kindness, 
the window remaining for the rest of the season without a 
semblance of vegetation. 

Therefore, the horticulturist who would cater to spread a 
taste for window gardening, ought to have his attention 
arrested by these existing circumstances, and beside giving 
the household florist a knowledge how to grow the plants he 
seeks to cultivate, it would be well at the same time to 
show him some construction of the window which would 



8 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

give greater facilities to the cultivation of plants, and also 
obviate some of the drawbacks mentioned. This I have 
endeavored to do by bringing before your notice the window 
or miniature greenhouse, which will not only be found 
admirably adapted for the cultivation of a few plants all the 
year round, but also an ornament to the mansion as well as 
the cottage. The miniature greenhouse will be found more 
convenient and better adapted for growing plants than either 
the aquarium or the glass shade, which are continually in 
the way, and require great attention in keeping clean and tit 
to be looked at. But the greenhouse being attached to the 
outside of the window is out of the way; the plants get more 
air; they are easier examined, and more securely shut off" 
from the! gaseous air and dust of the household. Besides, 
the miniature greenhouse, when adorned with a few plants, 
would mend the prospect of many a dwelling by blocking out 
offensive objects, which is certainly not the least of its ad- 
vantages. 

I take no credit to myself for the invention of the miniature 
greenhouse. In the western parts of Scotland they have 
been in use for several years. And it was while running 
barefoot reluctantly to school, in the old town of Edinburgh, 
some twenty years ago, that I first saw one of these ingeni- 
our contrivances. I had a school companion, whose father 
was a shoemaker, and there was no greater delight for me 
than to go with my companion and watch his father fashion 
the shoe upon the last. And it seems but yesterday since I 
heard the song of the blackbird that hung in a wicker cage 
near the window, and which was always merriest when the 
shoemaker beat the leather with his flat-headed hammer. 
Then, too, as if not to be behind the blackbird, would the 
plants in the little greenhouse seem to dance to the beat of 
the hammer. I was just chin-tall enough for the window- 
sill, and to my young mind what mystery hung around that 
fairy-looking dwelling, into which I earnestly gazed. And 
although no impulse was awakened within me to inquire of 
the shoemaker how he came to think of his little greenhouse, 
or where he had drawn his pattern from, yet impressions 
were indelibly made. 

And now, in looking back through the telescope of the 
mind, those impressions, like a far-off landscape, be- 
come distinctly visible— the shoemaker, the blackbird, and 
the little greenhouse, stand out in bold relief. And where was 
this little greenhouse, think you ? It was attached to the out- 
slde>-of a back window five stories high. And whether it was 
intended to shut out offensive objects, or as a hobby, it is no 
matter; there it was, giving pleasure to the shoemaker, who 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 9 

to my Imagination, was the happiest man on earth. I even 
went so far as to say that I myself would be a shoemaker, 
and have a blackbird and a little greenhouse. But somehow 
or other the garments of the mind are easier to change than 
those of the body ; and when it became time for me to leave 
school, which was no sooner than I wanted, the happy shoe- 
maker and his dwelling gave way to objects of a more excit- 
ing nature. 

Some will think that the shoemaker and the little green- 
house are eminently adapted for each other — 30 they are — 
and give up hope, thinking that the plants could not sustain 
life, from the attention they could give them. That's a false 
fear begotten from hesitation, which if suffered to remain cor- 
rodes the best of intentions. Plants will sustain life wonder- 
fully with but little attention, even they themselves will strug- 
gle for an existence, and it is only when we become unnatu- 
ral in our treatment of them that they sometimes leave us. 
I have seen plants in some windows where I could have burst 
into the house and gone to work for the sake of those plants 
by washing off the dust which had accumulated on their 
leaves; others I could have put away in some out-of-the-way 
corner, quietiy to rest for a season, being well assured, when 
awakened, they would bud, shoot and bloom with double 
vigor. 

I have also noticed the uncomfortable position of plants in 
a great many windows. And when I have seen them with 
their leaves pressed hard against the window frames, I have 
always been reminded of a boy pressing his nose against the 
window of a confectioner's shop, as eager to get in as the 
plants were to get out. You may be sure, that when the leaves 
of the plant are pressing against the window, that the habit 
of the plant is spoiling fast; the leaves which lean against the 
glass not only hurt themselves, but they also prevent the 
light from reaching other parts of the plant, which in the 
struggle to be as near the light as their neighbors become 
very much attenuated, presenting plenty of leaves to the 
passer by, but nothing but long, bare, wiry-looking branches 
to the cultivator. Now if those plants had been turned round 
now and then, so as to expose every part of the plant suc- 
cessively to the light, the branches would have become nicely 
balanced, and the outline of the plants would have been ad- 
mired as much as the skill of the cultivator. 

I do not remember all the sorts 1 of plants which my ac- 
quaintance the shoemaker had in his little greenhouse, but 
there was one which hung from the roof and which pos- 
sessed great attraction for me. This plant had roundish, 
bronzy-green, hairy-looking leaves, and it threw out a num- 



10 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GAEDEN. 

ber of red-like threads, which hung down over the sides of 
the pot and to the extremity of each a little plant was at- 
tached ; then there were two or three other plants which 
rested on the bottom of the little greenhouse, strange, dumpy- 
looking fellows, all prickles and points, and very seldom 
seen among the fashionable plants of the present day. The 
shoemaker, I will remember, called the one which was sus- 
pended from the roof " Aaron's Beard." The others were one 
or two sorts of cacti, and a variegated aloe, all of which I 
have since learned will grow in the same flower-pot for year$, 
and require but little attention beyond being kept clean, and 
receiving a little water during the summer season. 

As there are hundreds of plants quite suitable for window 
culture, the plan adopted in the following pages, will be 
found to meet the requirements of all classes. Beside ex- 
plaining the construction of the miniature greenhouse, and 
how to make certain windows, where the aid of the green- 
house is not available, calculated for the culvation of plants, 
they will also show how each may be adorned with a few in- 
expensive plants in spring, summer, autumn and winter; 
and when these are done with, how a few varieties of a 
choicer and somewhat costlier kind can succeed them. 

Having offered these few introductory hints on Window 
Gardening, I trust that my unpretending little work on this, 
one of the simplest modes of cultivating flowers, may find 
favor and indulgence from those who, like myself, cherish a 
warm affection for these precious gifts of a beneficent Provi- 
dence ; but who, from scanty means, and the necesssity of 
dwelling in the confined streets of the metropolis, or other 
large towns, find it difficult to gratify a taste as natural as 
it is pure and elevating— one, in fact, " that leaves no sting 
behind." 



CHAPTER I. 

THE MINIATURE GREENHOUSE. 

Given on the cover, resembles, as near as possible to my 
mind's eye, that of the shoemaker's described in the preced- 
ing chapter. And although I cannot recall any data regard- 
ing its construction, ventilation, etc., as the opportunity 
passed away long before I ever thought of taking notes of 
useful facts, yet I have managed to construct ;such a green- 
house, which shall be my guide in the present instance. 

In offering you these instructions, I must request you to 
look back to the drawing. You will perceive that the picture 
does not interfere with the sliding of the window-sashes, and 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 11 

that the ventilation of the dwelling and greenhouse are inde- 
pendent of each other— circumstances which should not be 
lost sight of, whatever modification the little conservatory 
may undergo. My window is 5 feet high and 3 1-2 feet 
broad, and the greenhouse attached to it is 3 feet high and 
2 1-2 feet broad, with a frcnt elevation of 2 feet. 

The ventilator at the top of the greenhouse is merely a 
piece of board, hinged to the back piece, and held open by 
means of a little hook and staple. In order that a constant 
stream of air may be passing through the structure, several 
little holes are pierced in the bottom, which may be covered 
or left uncovered at pleasure. The whole, except the bot- 
tom, is firmly dovetailed together, and secured to the win- 
dow in the following manner: 

To each side of the window, en the outside, and close to 
the window-sill, is fixed an upright board, three-quarters of 
an inch thick, and broad enough to lie flush with the outer 
face of the wall. These uprights are made more secure by 
means of a cross batten at the top, which should be made to 
fit as tight as possible, and be well driven home. Two 
brackets," with projecting arms of two feet, for the green- 
house to rest upon, are screwed to the bottom sill of the 
window. 

This being done, the greenhouse is lifted on to the brackets 
and screwed to them, also to the uprights, which, it must be 
remembered, are part of the breadth of the greenhouse. 
Therefore an allowance for them must be made accordingly. 

If all the foregoing details are done in a workmanlike 
manner, the stoutest gale will never disturb the miniature 
greenhouse. But if you cannot construct it yourself, any 
respectable joiner will furnish you with such a one as I have 
described, at a very small price. My own has cost me nearly 
ten dollars ; but they could be made still cheaper. 

Dwelling-houses with bow-windows seem to me to be well 
adapted for the cultivation of flowers. And where the 
recess could be spared, the bow-window, with little expense, 
might be converted into an elegant little greenhouse: For 
such a purpose all that is required is merely a little wooden 
or wire stage for the plants to stand upon, and a curtain 
hanging square with the room, to shut the plants off' at night 
from the gaseous air, or when dusting the apartment. The 
stage might be constructed in the following manner: 

The shelf of the stage should be about two feet from 
the floor, and placed so that one end would be at the center 
of the window, and the other nearly square with the room. 
Thejother shelves of the stage, should rise by steps from the 
center one, to each side of the window. One center shelf, 



12 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

with three or four others running from it to each side of the 
window, would give the cultivator space for the purpose ot 
growing a number of plants. And by constructing the stage 
in this manner, the apartment would not be so much dark- 
ened as if the plants were allowed to stand fair before the 
window. No doubt some people are to be found altogether 
against having plants in the window, from the very reason 
that the already dark apartment would be darker still. But 
would this darkness, dreaded by them, not be akin to the 
sweet gloom of the forest; or again, if the windows were full 
of the noonday sun, would it not be better to let the fierce 
rays of that luminary be subdued by flickering into the dwell- 
ing through graceful fronds and fragrant flowers, than draw- 
ing blinds, however beautiful they might be ? What artificial 
blind could be compared to that natural one, which presents 
such a boundless field for change and recreation ? 

With regard to window-boxes, a great many people secure 
no little pleasure in growing a few flowers in boxes placed 
outside of the window, and that enjoyment might be increased 
greatly by protecting the flowers from the scorching heat of 
the sun and heavy rains. And for that purpose we have only 
to copy the shop-keeper in his efforts to prevent the sun from 
spoiling the wares in bis windows. How much more com- 
fortable the plants would feel, we need hardly say, while in 
these extremities, to be under the protection of a little canopy. 
For this, all that would be required might be had for a trifling 
sum. A roller with a chintz blind, fixed half way up the 
window, and two piojecting rods, just above the flowers, 
with a piece of cord through the end of each, to draw down 
the blind, with the common window-blind fixture to draw it 
up, and the job is complete. The drawing down of the blind 
of an evening, and in cold weather in early spring, would 
greatly prosper the establishment of spring-flowering bulbs, 
bringing them into flower much sooner, and also making 
them last longer. And by the same economy the season of 
summer-flowering plants would be materially lengthened and 
extended into late autumn— advantages which speak loudly 
in favor of giving flowers in window-boxes that simple, yet 
efficient, protection. 

But, after all, my favorite is the miniature greenhouse, 
possessing, as it does, great advantages, over all other appli- 
ances for window gardening. And when it is got up neatly, 
and nicely painted, using good plain 21 oz. glass, the little 
structure embellishes the habitation wonderfully. But some 
may exclaim, " Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So has got a greenhouse," 
with a sneer. We say that this is a vanity which should have 
no place in the greenhouse except for the flower's sake. 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 13 

In some residences where the apartments are heated by hot- 
water apparatus, I see nothing to prevent the miniature 
greenhouse from being heated by the same means. Hot 
water can be laid almost anywhere by experienced workmen, 
and a couple of inch pipes led round the bottom of the 
greenhouse, would give sufficient heat to resist a great 
amount of frost, and thus some of the more choice green house, 
if not stove plants, might be cultivated. With reference to 
dwellings of the working classes, the builders of cottage 
property might, by introducing the miniature greenhouse on 
finishing the house, obtain more rent, and also be the means 
of leading the dwellers into a more happy and contented kind 
of life. What a contrast to the existing state of things, 
when their happiness, as it were, passes through a sieve 
shaken by their own hands, leaving nothing but lumps of 
sorrow for the rest of their clays. At any rate, the principle 
is worth trying. 

How cheerful it is to pass along a street where the houses 
have small gardens in front, and to see in the windows of 
those houses a fuchsia or a geranium striving to catch a 
glimpse of the sun. What a heightened tone it would give 
to the picture to introduce a miniature greenhouse, gaily 
dressed with some of nature's simplest but sweetest gems. 
To pass along such places in winter, when vegetation may 
be said to be dead, how cheerful to behold a few of our hardi- 
est ferns decorating the habitations; or in early spring to 
see the sweet-smelling hyacinth and the golden crocus peep- 
ing. forth; or in summer, the fuchsia with a hundred ear- 
drops, and the geranium, so pictorial, looking fresh and fair 
within their dwelling, when all without waits the refreshing 
shower with parched impatience; or, in the eleventh hour of 
the season, to see the last link of the floral year displayed in 
the white and yellow chrysanthemum, and all the while 
sweet ferns interspersed between. What a beautiful trait of 
nature it is to give us innocent flowers for all seasons. To 
my mind there should be a sort of a co-partnership between 
the song of the bird, the bloom of the flower, and the mind 
of man. The flower's capital is innocence, the song of the 
bird is gratitude, but, alas ! the human mind is a selfish 
agent, carrying his independence so far as to care for neither 
t lie fragrance of the one nor the melody of the other. To 
many of the latter the display of beautiful flowers is mere 
dumb-show, and the sweet song of birds a chattering con- 
fusion ; and they would ask how should such things help a 
man on in the world? innocence is only for childhood. 

But there is something apart from the innocence of flowers 
which man might with profit make emblematic of himself in 



14 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

the struggle for existence which runs through nature. Tak- 
ing man for example, who greatly smiles when lit up by the 
sun of prosperity, but wheu darkened by ill-fortune he 
shrinks like a withered leaf under the foot of his kindred. 
Think you, if such were to consider the flowers, and try to 
be like them— to smile at all seasons— to be like the snow- 
drop, peeping forth ere the snow has flown to the icy north ; 
to measure their humbleness by that little flower, would their 
strength lie in a withered leaf ? Far from it, they would be 
more likely to bud, even like " Aaron's rod." We can find a 
type for us all among the flowers. If we wish to be proud, 
we have only to cultivate the poppy. But if we wish to live 
and be respected, let us be mindful of the daisy, the prim- 
rose, and the snowdrop. The last three live in melody of 
song. But where is the rhyme that measures the poppy ?— 

"Pleasures are like poppies spread, 
You seize the flower, the bloom is fled." 

Let us look at the mighty oak of the forest for a true type 
of society. See the lusty, sinewy limbs of the lower part. 
How they stretch forth their brawny arms, ready to meet the 
action of the stoutest gale, How they revel in their strength. 
See how gallantly they mount upward, and join issue with 
those above, and they in turn with those still higher; each 
with the other making compact, and lending embellishment 
to the whole. Yet from all parts of the tree sapless twigs 
are continually falling to the ground. Hark, there's a crash. 
A bough, fretful-like at those above, and un beholden-like to 
those around, sprung aloof thinking to reach the summit 
without encountering the various crossings which lay in its 
path, is caught by the storm, snapped asunder and dashed to 
the ground, without even being caught in the embrace of 
sympathizing friends. 

But to resume more practical matter let me say, that with 
the miniature greenhouse, and a sovereign a year to spare 
for flowers, the household florist need never be without a 
plant in flower any week of the fifty-two. It is even won- 
derful what a display of flowers can be had, as I will show, 
for the expenditure of a few shillings. But before proceeding 
with what to grow and how to grow, a few remarks relating 
to plant life in general will not be out of place. In fact, it 
is almost necessary to do so. As many no doubt have plants 
alreadv in their windows, of which I may not speak individ- 
ually. 

CHAPTER II. 

HOW TO KEEP WINDOW-PLANTS HEALTHY. 

As with man cleanliness is maintained to be next to godli- 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 15 

ness, so witb plants, cleanliness is essential to healthiness. 
Therefore, whatever plants may be growing in the window, 
the dust of the dwelling must not be allowed to accumulate 
on their leaves week after week ; they should be carefully 
washed every now and then with a sponge and a little tepid 
water. 

In doing this, do not take hold of the leaf with the fingers 
as with a pair of pincers, but let the footstalk of the leaf slip 
in betwixt the fingers of the left hand, and the back of the 
leaf lie on the palm of the hand. Then apply the sponge 
until the leaf be properly cleansed. In sponging the feathery 
fronds of ferns the task is rather more delicate. Let a por- 
tion of the frond lie on the palm of the hand, and with the 
sponge moderately wet, press the frond against the hand 
gently, but do not rub the sponge up and down, and shifting 
the hand forward with the operation until the frond is finished. 
This sponging is to keep the leaf free from dust, and to wash 
any scaly insects from oft' the leaves, or fronds. These in- 
sects generally lodge on the bacfc of the leaves, near to the 
midrib, and should have no quarter whatever from the culti- 
vator. There is also another insect commonly called the 
green fly, which is a great pest to certain plants, and if suf- 
fered to remain, will wholly ruin the plants. Spring-flower- 
ing plants, such as the calceolaria and cineraria, are par- 
ticularly subject to this annoyance; also the show geraniums, 
and the young shoots of the fuchsia, a3 well as many other 
soft-wooded plants are infested with this fly. The species 
being rapidly propagated, the insect should be destroyed im- 
mediately on being detected, and for this the sponge is of no 
avail. 

The best and surest way of destruction is to fumigate the 
plants infected with pure tobacco smoke. The non-smoker 
may do this very effectually in the following manner: With 
the stalk or runt of a cabbage, or any similar object, make 
a sort of horn, and fix the narrow end on the nozzle of 
the tire bellows. Then push a little shag tobacco into the 
horn, and place a small, red-hot cinder on the top of it, and 
a little more tobacco on the cinder, and with the ventilators 
of the greenhouse shut, and the window down to the mouth 
of the horn, blow the bellows until the greenhouse is densely 
full of smoke, in which state it should remain for two or three 
hours. When the smoke has cleared away examine the 
plants, and if the fumigation has done its work, the insects 
will be lying on their backs on the leaves and round about, 
perhaps not dead, but so as they can be easily shook or 
blown from the plants. After that has been done, sweep the 
remains into the dust-pan, and the execution is completed. 



16 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

Those who have not the advantage of the miniature green- 
house must devise some other means to retain the smoke 
round about the plant. An empty box, or a large paper bag 
to envelop the plant would be equally suitable. 

After fumigation, and the insects are cleared away, the 
plants, if not in flower, might receive a gentle watering over 
head with advantage. 

Thus far I have shown how to keep plants healthy by 
keeping them clean. Let us see what else they require 
to keep them in that state: — Air, food, light, training, 
and rest. I might have included the first two under 
food alone; but it suits the present purpose better for 
them to be separated. To keep plants pent up for weeks 
and months without any air but what comes bouncing in 
when the door is opened, or whistling through the 
keyhole when closed, is not the way to keep plants healthy. 
All our hardy ferns, all spring-flowering plants, all summer 
geraniums and autumn chrysanthemums, love to feel the 
freshness of the air; in fact, it is their very life. And although 
the freshness of the air may be said to be very seldom abroad 
in our large towns, yet, by keeping the leaves of the plants 
clean, they are the more able to breathe of what is going; 
but they must first have the opportunity of doing so, and 
that frequently, to keep them healthy. We now come to the 
food of plants— soil and water. 

It cannot be expected that window-gardeners are able to 
pay the same attention to the food of plants as is practiced 
by professional gardeners; though I must say, all books 
hitherto written for the guidance of amateur gardeners 
would lead one to think otherwise. Now, in the matter of 
soil and water— soil especially— we know that the amateur is 
placed at a very great disadvantage in comparison with the 
professional gardener ; and to recommend a certain strictness, 
or the plants will not grow, is quite out of character. It is 
quite true that certaiu plants require a certain soil to grow 
in and be well ; in fact, we see that in nature. On the other 
hand, it is as true that we see miscellaneous plants growing 
in what may be termed miscellaneous soil. Therefore, to 
meet the case of the window-gardener, the better plan would 
be to adapt the circumstances to the man, not the man to the 
circumstances, by giving him a certain soil for a number of 
plants, and by telling him to water the plants when dry, be 
it morning, noon, or night, unless when the plants are at 
rest. 

A soil which would be the most suitable and the most 
come-at-able, for all window-plants to grow in, can be found 
in any locality where there is a hedge growing. Go along 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 17 

the side of the hedge by the roadside, and pull up the first 
big tuft of grass, and shake the soil from it and add a 
handful or two of sand( silver-sand, if possible, bought at 
the seed-shop), and the mixture will suit almost any window- 
plant requiring soil for its cultivation. But the better 
plau would be to send to the nursery for some sandy, 
loamy soil, and the purchaser will be accommodated with 
as much soil as will pot all the plants in the window or the 
miniature greenhouse, for twenty-five cents. 

The operation of potting will be treated of in a subsequent 
chapter; but I may here mention that good drainage placed 
in the bottom of the flower-pot, so that the water may run 
freely away from the soil, and the soil put down equally round 
about the roots, and to be of one uniform firmness, are the 
chief and successful features in potting all plants. Giving 
the plants good drainage, and a nice sandy loam to grow in, 
counteracts the evils arising from the plants getting too much 
water, to which window plants are commonly subjected, and 
are thereby rendered unhealthy, from the soil becoming sour. 
In fact, this plan is adopted by some nurserymen, in order to 
prevent the same evil; which fact I learned in the following 
manner:— I went to work at one of those nurseries, and one 
morning a miscellaneous collection of plants was pointed out 
to me which required re-potting. Relying confidently on my 
own notions, I cast my eyes over the plants, and proceeded 
to the potting shed to prepare the soil, etc., thinking in my 
mind that I would make the plants comfortable for once. So 
I hurried away with the barrow for a bit of this soil and a bit 
of that. My good intentions were checked rather abruptly 
by the foreman telling me to give the plants all one soil, and 
be sure to put plenty of sand into it; "for," says he, " our 
fellows are very careless in watering the plants, whether they 
want it or not." 

Poor fellows, in spring and summer, however willing 
(sometimes they might be more so), they have not time to 
examine the plants minutely, and for the sake of expedition, 
water the plants without due care, straight forward, one by 
oue. Thus it was that I got the cue about putting plenty of 
sand in the soil, and in these days of special manures, which 
give such miraculous results, the sandy soil can be easily en- 
riched by the application of some of those fertilizers ; for 
instance, a handful of Peruviau guano, dissolved in water, 
and given to the plants about once a week, in the growing 
season, would promote a healthy vigor in the plants. In pot- 
ting plants, be careful to cast out any worms, however small, 
from the soil, for if potted with the plant, the worms will 
soon become a great fact, twisting in all directions about the 



18 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

root, beside living on the fat of the soil, which is very hurt- 
ful to the health of the plant. 

Just fancy having the naked foot in a peck of soil, and a 
long worm twisting between the toes, and having no power 
to prevent the gyrations of the tormentor. I have heard 
people 6xclaim, when some of the window-plants have been 
doing badly, "I'm sure there's a worm at the root of that 
plant;" but they have done nothing to ascertain the fact. 
Thus the plants have gone on in this state for months. To 
ascertain whether there be a worm at the root of the plant or 
not, turn the plant upside down, with the neck of the plant 
between the ringers of the left hand, and the right hand on 
the bottom of the pot, give the edge of the pot a tap or two 
on the window sill, and the ball of soil containing the roots 
will come out. If the fancied worm is there, several little 
channels will be made all round the sides of the ball, and, 
perhaps, the maker will be coiled into a lump close to the 
side. Fork him out at once, and fill up any vacancies with a 
little fresh soil. In re-potting the plant, give the bottom of 
the pot a tap or two on the floor, to settle the ball nicely 
down. If no channels or little holes are visible on the sides 
of the ball, it is safe to conclude there is no worm, and the 
unhealthiness of the plant must arise from other causes. 
With respect to watering plants— the position of the minia- 
ture greenhouse, and windows in general, being a dry one — 
in summer, the plants will require to be almost daily watered, 
and all soft-wooded plants before coming into flower, are 
much benefited by having their leaves well besprinkled 
with clean water, two or three times a week, oftener if pos- 
sible. 

This brings us to the training; as the child requires train- 
ing, so does the plant. Plants of the geranium type should 
never be suffered to become leggy, that is, possessing long, 
bare branches with a few green leaves on the top. Endeavor 
to keep the plant as bushy as possible, and near to the pot, 
letting no branch have a preponderance over another. This 
is accomplished by nipping off the points of the ybung shoots 
after the plant has been potted in spring, and made some 
progress in growing; also, by leading branches into any 
weak side of the plant. Nipping the points of the young 
shoots induces the plant to throw out numerous other shoots, 
hence the practice. More information on the training of 
plants will be found further on, in the chapter describing 
the cultivation of the fuchsia. 

We now come to the rest of plants, call it sleep if you will, 
" chief nourisher in life's feast." The natural rest of plants 
is discernible in some, while in others it is more obscure. 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 19 

Thus we. see the trees of the forest, the hedge-rows, and the 
fruit-trees of our gardens lose their leaves and go quietly to 
sleep. Aud the rough winds may try to shake them from 
their lethargy. But it is not until the sweet voice of spring 
calling melodiously for leafy boughs, that the sleepers are 
necessitated to awake and fulfill the divine mission of love. 
Then away they burst, leading forth a glorious bass to the 
Feathered choristers. 

Nearly all plants under pot culture require rest in due sea- 
son, and that season i3 generally after the plants have done 
flowering. All plants that have flowered during summer, 
such as the geraniums of sorts, aud fuchsias, are rested by 
being kept moderately dry at the roots all through the 
winter. In fact the fuchsia should be taken out of the win- 
dow altogether in that season, and placed away in some 
dryish cellar or shelf, free from frost, to remain there until 
spring comes round. The plant is then brought forth, and 
the shoots shortened, the roots shaken out of the old soil, 
and re-potted in fresh, set in the window, and away the plant 
goes on the journey of life. Just like the laborer, who, 
having gone through the operation of the toilet, after a good 
night's sleep, marches off to his work with renewed vigor; 
requiring wholesome food and cleanly habits to keep him 
healthy, and we may add content, to make him happy. 

Thus we see ti> keep a window-plant healthy, the leaves of 
the plant must be kept clean; they must have plenty of air, 
and abundance of water be given to the plant during the 
growing season, which must be potted in a nice free sandy 
soil, well-drained, and now and then receive a little liquid 
manure. The plant must also be trained by pinching off the 
points of the young shoots, or tying them down; and 
whether or not the plant has fulfilled its task by shedding a 
few flowers, the plant must have a little rest after its exer- 
tions, which will be noticed in the remarks on the cultiva- 
tion of plants in the succeeding chapters. 



CEAPTER III. 

WILD FERNS— THE SCOL0PENDRIUM VULGARE. 

Among the many varieties of wild plants that grow around 
our cities, or far away in the country, none seem more inter- 
esting than the fern tribe. Indeed, I may say that none are 
better adapted for decorating the miniature greenhouse. 
Their graceful fronds, like palms in miniature, are more 
lasting, if they are not so pretty, as the blossom of the prim- 
rose; and although the greater number of the varieties of 



20 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

ferns love shady nooks, yet there are some varieties that 
grow far up on the hills, where they receive little or no shelter 
from the scorching rays of the sun, nor does the hardest 
winter nip their lonely fronds. Therefore, our windows being 
furnished with the miniature greenhouse, whether they partake 
of the dull aspect of the back slums or the hot and dusty 
thoroughfare, may be adorned and made cheerful by a few 
objects drawn from that part of nature's boundless store. It 
is not my intention to give a long list of varieties to choose 
from — that would be but to confuse you with a host of hard 
botanical names which the daisy, the buttercup and the fern 
knew not until scieace christened them afresh; but to confiue 
my remarks to a few varieties of ferns and other wild plants 
which grow in almost every country ; also a few cultivated 
plants. And for the guidance of those persons who may have 
some difficulty in getting to the places where the wild plants 
grow, I will, at the close of my remarks, add a list of the 
whole, with their prices affixed, and which can be purchased 
from any nurseryman. 

The first family or tribe of ferns that I would draw your at- 
tention to as being worthy of notice is the " Hart's tongue," 
or Scolopendrium vulgare, of botanists. In searching for 
this fern, remember that it will be found growing most luxu- 
riantly by the side of brooks in deep glens, where the spray 
of the brook leaps up and kisses it in gratitude for its com- 
pany. Methinks that it would be cruel to part such sweet 
friends—nay, the plant would pine away in absence of 
the brook. See, there is one of the same kind a little higher 
up the bank, more likely to live with you; for know that 
plants, when transplanted from very sheltered places, from 
being tender, are more liable to die than others taken from 
exposed situations. This is a great lesson on plant cultiva- 
tion. 

And here let me say that if you wish the plants which you 
gather from their wild homes "to do well with you, you must 
not be like some cruel plant-seekers, who, in the most ruth- 
less manner, tear them away from the soil in which they are 
found growing, and tumble them into a handkerchief, and by 
the time they reach home their lovely fronds are all bruised 
and broken. When you espy one which you would like, you 
must go to work systematically. Having armed yourself 
with a little trowel, and a longish tin box slung from your 
shoulder, stoop down and examine the plant carefully. If it 
be that the roots of the plant are fast embedded in stones, 
look for another that is less so; tie up the leaves or fronds 
with a piece of band, and loosen the soil round about it with 
the trowel. Be careful in doing so not to come any nearer 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 21 

the plant than three inches, and preserve, if possible, every 
portion of rootlet intact. When you have got the plant up, 
you may reduce the ball of soil considerably, and put the 
plant into your tin box— aye, as carefully as a mother would 
place her sleeping infant into the cradle. 

The Scolopendrium grows in tufts, and in favored situa- 
tions throws out numerous dark-green colored shining 
fronds, varying from eight inches to two feet in length, ac- 
cording to the locality. The fronds are of a stiffish, leathery 
nature, slightly recurved, and varying in breadth, but two 
inches at the broadest part, which is a little beyond the mid- 
dle of the frond, may be taken as an average ; then they grad- 
ually taper to a point; from the same part they gradually 
decline in breadth to within six inches of the crown of the 
plant, where the leafy portion of the frond abruptly termi- 
nates in a heart-shaped manner, and the whole is supported 
on a stout, dark-brown colored stalk or stipe. This stipe, 
immediately it joins the frond, is termed the " mid-rib," and 
partakes more of the green color of the frond on the upper 
surface, but on the under it retains the dark color of the 
stipe nearly throughout. On the under side of the fronds a 
number of broad, parallel lines, covered, in a mature state, 
with a brown sort of dust, stand out in an oblique directiou 
with the mid-rib very prominently. All ferns, with a few 
exceptions, like the Scolopendrium, are marked in various 
manners on the under side of the fronds. These marks 
botanists call son", and constitute, so to speak, the flower of 
the fern ; and from their position and formation the different 
tribes of ferns are partly distinguished. It is not from any 
fancied resemblance to the colored petals of a flower that 
those marks are considered as the flower of the fern, but sim- 
ply from the fact that it is there that the seed of the future 
plant is developed. 

That brown dust, which becomes almost invisible when se- 
parated from its kindred, to become a living plant, might 
we not say here is life almost from nothingness. 

Beside the Scolopendrium vulgare, there are a great 
many very interesting varieties— one nurseryman advertis- 
ing near upon a hundred different sorts. But there are only 
two or three to be found in a state of wildness, and those 
nut near so common as vulgare. That, and the two follow- 
ing varieties, may be said to be chief of the species found in 
a wild state. 

Scolo'pendrium crispum is readily distinguished from vul- 
gare, by having the edge of the fronds frilled much after the 
fashion of the shirt front of former days, and which some ot 
our grandfathers still stick to with great tenacity. Indeed, 



22 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

if the fronds of this variety were of a glossy white instead 
of a light glossy green, they would be a capital imitation 
and no doubt nature, in the first instance, as she does in many 
more, furnished the design of the frilled front. 

Scolopendrium cristatum is easily distinguished from the 
foregoing varieties by having the tips of the fronds crumpled, 
like so many green tassels waving in the wiud. This variety, 
as well as that of crispuni, displays a great craving for ad- 
miration, and therefore oughtto find a corner in the miniature 
greenhouse. The filled and crested varieties are barren of 
fructification ; that is to say, they have no patches of so?*i on 
the fronds. The reason of their barrenness is imperfectly 
known ; but it is supposed that, like a great many more high- 
er up in the scale .of nature, who see no efficacy in hidden 
beauty, therefore expose all to the first glance. But it would 
be well if they imitated this little fern, and exposed nothing 
but their own ware. 

The name '\Scolopendrium," which is applied to this genus 
of ferns, is supposed to have been given to it by botanists 
from the resemblance which the sort bears to the feet of the 
centipede, or " Jenny-with-the-hundred-feet," which is scien- 
tifically termed Scolopendra — hen&e Scolopendrium. But I 
can see no likeness between the two, unless it be the fancied 
resemblance which the oblong patch of brown sort bears to 
the insect itself. 

The aspect of these three varieties of ferns, taken in the 
order treated of, is the simplest in the whole genera of British 
ferns from the circumstance that their fronds are more entire 
than all other species; that is, they are not cut up into nu- 
merous wings or pinnoe, which give to other ferns a feathery 
appearance. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ferns (Continued.} 

The northern nard fern, or common hard fern, or Blcch- 
num boreale of botanists, is the next fern to which I 
would call your attention. It may be said to be the only 
wild variety that we possess belonging to that interesting 
group of ferns; though sometimes, in the search for this 
fern, we may come across a decided sport — thai is, a variety 
with characteristics quite different from the common variety. 
1 have gathered specimens of the Blechnum with the fronds 
more or less forked at the point, like a fish-tail. The place 
where I gathered that singular sport was on the bank of 
a country lane, where I have also gathered specimens of the 



HOW xG xlGGl' A VV'IlwOv, GARDEN. 23 

common variety, with fertile mm is hvo feet five inches in 
length, having barren fronds nearly two feet. I never saw 
the common hard fern grow so luxuriantly as it does in that 
lane; and in the present season — that is, the month of Oc- 
tober—the fronds literally clothe the bank with robes of 
glossy green, when all around is brown and sere. 

Here, then, we may say that these ferns have been growing 
from time immemorial; and in examining the soil in which 
they are growing, we find it to be composed wholly of decayed 
vegetable matter, not boggy, but leafy and loose. And in 
looking at the position of the bank, with an aspect almost 
due west, slightly shaded by trees, one would almost think 
that the ferns would suffer greatly in the hot summer months. 
But such is not the case. The roots being well covered with 
their own decayed fronds and other grassy matter, are always 
in a most healthy state; but take away that covering for a 
summer's day, and the fronds would become shriveled and 
brown long before their season, which you would do well to 
remember. And as we cannot suffer decayed fronds to 
remain about the plants, from their unsightliness, other 
means must be devised which would secure the same ends. 
A little moss would answer the purpose, and look well at the 
same time. And if little round baskets, also covered with 
moss, could be procured to place the flower-pots in ,the 
whole ends would be obtained. 

The common hard fern grows in tufts similar to the hart's 
tongue, and is possessed of two diflerent kinds of fronds, 
namely, barren and fertile ones. The former are evergreen, 
almost prostrate, and of various lengths, from one inch to 
three inches at their broadest part, and from six inches to 
twenty inches may be taken as their length. The lower por- 
tion of the frond is pinnate, while the upper is " pinnatind;" 
that is, the leafy portion of the frond commencing at the 
stipe is cut completely away at intervals varying in breadth 
according to the size of the frond, and toward the apex of the 
frond it is only partially cut, not fully reaching to the mid- 
rib; and the whole aspect of the frond is what is termed 
" lanceolate," or spear-shaped. The fertile fronds, spring up 
from the root a little later on in the season. They are more 
erect and somewhat taller, but narrower in front and in 
pinnae than the barren ones. They are not strictly evergreen, 
and on the under side of the pinnae, along each side of the 
mid-vein with the sort, is exposed to view, a longitudinal 
patch, similar to the hart's tongue, but darker in color. The 
fertile as well as the barren fronds are supported on very 
dark-colored stipes, which have a little groove or channel 
running the entire length of the frond on the upper surface. 



24 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

Toward the root the stipes are covered with a scaly sort of 
substance, and both fronds are extremely hard to the touch ; 
hence the very appropriate name, common " hard fern." 

I have now explained, as well as I know how, in plain lan- 
guage, the chief characteristics of the foregoing ferns, and 
would willingly lead 3 T ou further afield; but that field is so 
wide and full' of objects, that I am almost placed in the same 
predicament as the lady who had a thousand dresses to 
choose from, and who was under the painful necessity of 
frittering away the greater part of the "day in considering 
which to put on ; and who, when dressed, had sometimes no 
little mortification in thinking that she might have looked 
much better in something else. And though I have had a 
good deal of frittering to do in choosing the wherewithal to 
dress the miniature greenhouse, yet I hope to have none of 
that lady's mortification; but, before stepping away from the 
ferns of our woods, let me point out, in the next chapter, 
another group as being well worthy of attention. 



CHAPTER V. 

wjld ferns (Continued.) 

The common poly pod, or Polypodium vidgare of botan- 
ists. The word " vulgare" which requires the final " e" to 
be sounded, is very often applied scientifically to plants to 
denote that they are common, just as the word vulgar is 
commonly applied to individuals who are rude and boorish in 
their manners, and common enough they are. But the sense 
in each case is rather different. If it were applied to man- 
kind with the same meaning as is attached to the little fern, 
we should all be vulgar, which is too sweeping a conclusion ; 
and it would be a great pity if the fern could mend its com- 
monness, but a great blessing it the majority of men would 
mend their manners. 

The common polypod is a fern that adapts itself, and 
makes the most of the various situations in which it may be 
found growing; sometimes waving its pale, green-colored 
fronds by the wayside ; sometimes by the brook ; now hanging 
over the abyss of the quarry, and often bidding defiance to 
the storm on the high rocks of the hills. What a lesson 
might be read from the adaptability of this little fern. In 
describing the Polypodium vulgare, I must call your atten- 
tion to a part of the plant on which I have hitherto been 
silent, namely, a certain part of the root, which is a distinct 
feature in this fern, and more or less of all the other varieties 
that compose the group of polypods. Wherever growing, 
the stipes of the common polypods will be found to spring 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 25 

from a number of brown, hairy-like feet, which are called 
"rhizomes,'' and which creep along the top, and also spread 
under the ground. In fact, the name polypodium, which is 
derived from the Greek, signifies many-footed, and in some 
foreign or exotic varieties those hairy creeping stems are not 
unlike a foot of a hare; in fact, it is sometimes called the 
hare's foot fern. 

The "rhizomes," or creeping stems of the common poly- 
pody, are from a quarter to half an inch in diameter, and in 
a young state are covered with a light-brown chaffy sub- 
stance, which gives them the appearance of being covered 
with hair. Through course of time they partly lose that 
hairiness, and are sometimes completely covered with black 
rootlets, which penetrate or ramify into the crevices of rocks, 
decayed truDks of trees, and other surfaces suitable for their 
support. The fronds rising in all directions from the young 
rhizomes give this fern quite a different aspect from the 
tufted habit of the hart's tongue. The fronds are of a pale-green 
color, growing from nine to eighteen inches high, and are 
supported on short wiry-looking stipes. The outline of the 
frond is lanceolate, and the leafy portion is divided into seg- 
ments much after the manner of the common hard fern, and 
called pinnatifid. On the under side of those divisions, to- 
ward the upper half of the frond, the sori appearing in a 
very regular manner, little brown, lozenge-like spots being 
arranged, single tile, on each side of the mid-vein, and the 
indentations of these little spots are easily seen on the upper 
surface of the frond. 

This fern is common to nearly every county in the Middle 
States. In sheltered places the fronds are evergreen, and 
can be readily distinguished from all other native ferns, from 
the manner of their fructification, combined with the hairy- 
creeping rhizome. There are two other varieties which are, 
perhaps, more worthy of attention than Polypodium vulgare. 
But they are not so easily found — one being chiefly confined 
to the mountains and the other to low grounds. The former is 
called Polypodium cambricum, and has a more leafy appear- 
ance than the vulgare ; but it is quite barren of sori. The 
other is called Polypodium semilacerum, and it resembles 
cambricum ; with this difference, that the upper half of the 
fronds are generally fertile. 

CHAPTER VI. 

CHOICE VARIETIES OF FERNS FOR THE MINIATURE GREENHOUSE. 

To those who may desire something better than ordinary 
sorts, in the way of ferns, the following choice varieties 



10 EC. v _ :_r A Window garden. 

will be found a decided acquisition for embellishing the minia- 
ture greenhouse. The first claiming special attention is 
named Lastrea cristata, or crested buckler fern. This 
variety throws out several fronds from two to four feet in 
length, gracefully rising from a dark, scaly, tree-like stem. 
The edges of the deep green-colored fronds being beautifully 
crested, give this fern an elegance unsurpassed by any other 
varieties of hardy ferns; and where a noble and striking 
specimen is desired, Lastrea cristata should be remembered. 
As a contrast to the foregoing variety in habit and color, 
Pulypodium auritum, or eared polypody, may be favorably 
mentioned; the fronds being a pale green color, and erect, 
bushy habit, breaks, but does not obscure the wavy outline 
of the Lastrea. 

Another great favorite which would nearly correspond 
with the two foregoing ferns, is named Adiantum capillas 
veneris, or the maiden-hair fern. So delicate is this little 
fern in the structure of the fronds and lealilets, and grace- 
fulness of habit, combined with the refreshing greenness 
which the leaflets possess, as to entitle this fern to a promi- 
nent position in all collections. With the Lastrea cristata 
as a back-ground, and the Polypodium auritum placed in 
front, with the maiden-hair in front of that, a beautiful bank 
of ferns is formed; and when a pan of moss is placed before 
the ferns, the group is worthy the pencil of the artist. 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE CULTIVATION OF FERNS. 

The foregoing varieties of ferns, as well as many more 
beside, may be easily grown by giving them a little shelter 
from the hot summer sun, and by keeping drought from 
their roots; they will well repay any other little attention 
bestowed. The varieties before mentioned will also be found 
to luxuriate most in a loose, leafy soil, with a good sprink- 
ling of silver-sand, and when grown in pots, nature must be 
imitated as nearly as possible. On woody banks the soil 
can never become sour and unhealthy from being water- 
logged. And though some ferns are found growing with 
great strength by the side of brooks, where the soil is natu- 
rally wet, yet that circumstance will be found to be a sweet 
dampness. The ferns in such situations have, as it were, a fresh 
mouthful of food every instant of the day, and their appetite 
is increased by inhaling the pure air of the forest. Only let 
the brook become a muddy pool, shut up in a greenhouse 
with the same ferns, growing as in a state of nature, and 
what would be the result? The vigor of the fronds for want 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 21 

of fresh air would become languid, and then a prey to all 
sorts of iusects; while the rootlets under the double disad- 
vantage of sour food and flaccid fronds would, in a measure, 
be choked. 

Thus the process of destruction would be going on at. both 
ends, and if the plant did not actually die, a much dw'arfer 
habit would supervene. Or take it in another way. Let the 
plants have abundance of fresh air, and yet be planted in the 
muddy pool, what then would be the result ? However 
wantonly the breeze might woo their lovely fronds, the roots 
would have no better action than in the former case. Their 
sour food would still make them less eager for work, and 
instead of extending to a numerous progeny the plant would 
eventually, if left to nature, fall before the rush and the water 
flag in the struggle for existence. To cultivate the plant so 
would be to cultivate it against nature; and all the coaxing 
in the world would never be crowned with successful cultiva- 
tion, unless the roots also came jn for a fair share of atten- 
tion, and that attention can be summed up in a very few 
words— plenty of drainage to prevent the soil from becoming 
eour like that of the stagnant pool. 

Fanners know the utility of good drainage; and however 
ridiculous it may appear to some people to talk about drain- 
ing a flower-pot, yet gardeners know, or ought to know, that 
that operation is as necessary for the well-being of a plant, 
as it is for the produce of the farm. The operation is not only 
necessary for ferns, but likewise for all plants under pot cul- 
ture. Therefore I will endeavor to show you bow to proceed 
in that operation, also how to pot the ferns, and other details 
connected with their cultivation. 

Gardeners in pottin&plants are always careful to cover the 
hole in the bottom of the flower-pot with a good sized piece 
of broken earthenware called a crock, and the process crock- 
ing; then on the top of that they place a handful or two of 
smaller pieces, and over all a little moss to prevent the soil 
from choking up the drainage. 

As gardeners generally have plenty of broken flower-pots 
they are used up for this purpose ; but as you may not be 
desirous to break a new flower-plot, or even a dish, though 
it be cracked, a few oyster-shells will do equally well; and 
that is all which they consider necessary beyond soil, a little 
water now and then, and plenty of air to keep the roots in a 
healthy condition. In proceeding further to pot the plant, 
whether it be a fern, a primrose, a geranium, or a fuchsia, or, 
indeed, with hundreds of others beside, a sufficient soil is put 
into the pot, so that when gently pressed down, it will sup- 
port the ball of roots, and allow the stem of the plant, at 



28 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

about an inch above the root, to be on a level with the brim 
of the pot. The stem should rise from the center of the pot, 
and the pot should be large enough to admit at least an inch 
of soil between its sides and the ball of roots. The soil is 
pressed down with the fingers, sometimes with a little stick 
when the pot is a very deep one, but in all cases the soil is 
made of one uniform firmness round the roots of the plant, 
and I was going to say, leveled down to within half an inch 
of the brim of the pot, but this last process must depend very 
much upon the size of the pot; however, that distance will 
suit whatever is cultivated in the miniature greenhouse. 

After potting any of the ferns which I already pointed out, 
whether collected in spring, summer, autumn, or winter, care 
must be taken to water them, and in doing this not to wash 
the soil over the edges of the pot. As I have said before, in 
speaking of a certain locality where the Blechnum boreale 
grows remarkably well, cover the soil over with moss, and 
place the pot in a little moss basket. A skeleton of the same 
might be easily made with* a bit of wire, and the moss inlaid. 
The plants may be placed in the miniature greenhouse at 
once; but, if the weather be sunny, and the window fully ex- 
posed; the most simple method to give the newly-potted plants 
a little shade is to attach a newspaper to the roof of the 
greenhouse. 

Now, if you have carefully done all that has been directed, 
from collecting the ferns and placing them in the miniature 
greenhouse, the plautg will never know that they have mi- 
grated from the country lane, from the woody bank, to the 
habitation of man. Moreover, you must keep them in that 
happy state of ignorance. When they begin to droop and 
pine, they are saying to themselves, " Oh, that I could re- 
turn to my happy home beside the brook, under the tall 
trees ! I might yet be well. Or if I could but feel some- 
thing akin to the dews of heaven, my captivity would never 
be mourned. I would then shine with the same splendor, 
and not be ashamed to lift my head to meet the smile of my 
admirers. But, alas ! I have no voice but my beauty, and 
that is fast becoming low and mournful. My captors have 
eyes, yet they see not the malady. Oh, how I would shine if 
1 could but bathe in the dewy flood. I can hear them mur- 
mur over my departed beauty, wondering how it is I do not 
grow. They have done everything to meet the requirements 
of my roots, who say to me. 'Why don't you eat the food 
which we send up to you ? We shall die, as well as you, if 
we did not keep up our appetite.' Alas ! they are as blind 
as my captors. They do not see that my face is nearly as 
black as their own little rootlets." 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 29 

The plant says as we say, "How fresh one feels af.er a 
good wash !" and would have us to let them partake of that 
health-giving operation, and remember that they have a 
breathing apparatus as well as ourselves. We have only to 
clap the hand over the mouth, and how difficult it becomes to 
breathe. So with the plants when their leafy surface is cov- 
ered with dust, for there their breathing apparatus lies, with 
outlets as numerous as the pores of the human body. 

Gardeners have frequently to wash their plants to keep 
them healthy, and window-gardeners cannot hope to have im- 
munity, if they wish to keep theirs in good condition, from 
doing likewise. With some plants this is a very tedious oper- 
ation. I remember, when at work at Chatsworth, under the 
late Sir J. Paxton, being perched for days up among the leafy 
boughs of the plants in the great conservatory, applying a 
little tepid water with a sponge to leaf after leaf of good-sized 
trees. The operation should be very carefully done, as the 
leaves of plants are easily torn or bruised. To sponge the 
fronds of some ferns is a very delicate task indeed, and fitter 
to be performed by the hand of a woman than the great rough 
hand of a man. But the roughest hand can be gentle if its 
owner likes, and the plant receive the compiiment with the 
same grace as if tendered by the hand of a princess. 

The readiest way to sponge the fronds of a fern is to let 
the back of the frond lie on the palm of the left hand, and 
with the right apply the sponge, moderately wet, to the face 
of the frond. If the plant be very dirty, empty the sponge 
now and then for a fresh supply of water. The back of the 
fronds are not so easily done; but you must be patient, and 
be sure to look well after insects, as they generally lodge on 
the under side of the fronds. If you cleanse the plants in 
this manner now and then, and keep their roots from drought, 
allowing air to circulate at all times through the miniature 
greenhouse, and drawing down the window at night where 
gas is used, the ferns will be found to contend with, and con- 
quer the difficulties of a town residence. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

MOSSES SUITABLE FOR WINDOW CULTIVATION. 

Though we have a great many sorts of mosses, yet few of 
them are cultivated. As seen in a state of nature, our own 
mosses are exceedingly pretty and interesting, but, as nearly 
all the varieties require cool, damp situations, they are not 
so well adapted for the decoration of the window or the min- 
iature greenhouse. Nevertheless, I have been induced to 
grow several varieties, and hope at some future time to 



30 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

bring them into notice. Waiving then, for the present, our 
own varieties of mosses, in favor of one or two greenhouse 
varieties, the first that claims attention is named Selaginella 
denticulata, or toothed moss. This variety of moss when 
grown in the greenhouse, is sure to arrest attention, and 
be greatly admired for the refreshing greenness and neat 
habit displayed by the plant, thereby claiming to be re- 
garded as one of our special favorites. 

Though this little moss is a native of the South, yet it is 
very hardy in constitution, withstanding several degrees of 
frost, as well as the effect of excessive heat, and also con- 
siderable dryness of atmosphere. This, combined with easy 
cultivation, makes it very suitable for the decoration of the 
window or the miniature greenhouse. When the plant is 
bought at the nursery, in spring or summer, most likely it 
will be in a very small pot, and to make the mo3t of the 
plant, it should be shifted into a larger pot, or shallow pan, 
the latter for choice, as it gives greater scope for the arrange- 
ment of plants; thus, with the shallow pan of moss in front, 
with a taller plant behind it, and a taller behind that, a little 
bank of flowers is, as it were, constructed, which is always 
the neatest mode in the arrangement of plants. The -pan 
must be drained in the same way as a flower-pot, covering 
the holes nicely with one piece of crock, and several other 
smaller pieces round about. 

In shifting the plant into the pan, the ball of soil about 
the roots will most likely have to be reduced, and if the 
plant is large enough to be divided, into two or more pieces, 
let it be done, then plant them at about two inches apart in 
the pan, and taking a handful of silver-sand (which should 
be used freely among the soil) shake it nicely over the top, 
and give the plants a gentle watering over head. Next, 
place the plants in the greenhouse, and shade them for a few 
days by placing a piece of old newspaper on the top of two 
or three little sticks stuck into the soil in the pan. The 
plants will soon begin to grow, in their progress throwing 
out numerous little delicate branches clothed with little 
shining pointed leaves. Once the plant has fairly com- 
menced to grow, it will very soon till the allotted space, and 
to hang down over the sides of the pan, becoming a dense 
bed of the loveliest green. The plant should receive plenty 
of water during summer, and in winter occasionally. 

On the approach of spring, the health of the plant may be- 
gin to show tokens of decay, the dense head of green becom- 
ing yellow in the center. The best course is then to make a 
fresh plantation with some of the greenest portions of the old 
plant, and start them into growth in the same manner as 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 31 

previously described. Selaginella denticulata will grow 
without ever seeing the sun at all, but of course it must have 
a little light. The next variety of Selaginella claiming the 
attention, as contrasting favorably in habit, color, and adap- 
tability with denticulata, is named selaginella ca>sia, or the 
blue shaded moss. This variety looks extremely pretty when 
suspended from the roof of the greenhouse. Being more of a 
trailing habit than denticulata, the blue shaded branches hang 
down over the sides of the pot ; or, if a stake was stuck into 
the soil, the branches being trained to it would form a nice 
feathery pyramid. The cultivation of this variety is the same 
as the one preceding, and will well repay the cultivator's at- 
tention. I might add, that with this variety, it is better to 
have the branches totally cut away from the plant before win- 
ter commences, as by doing so, the plant begins to clothe 
itself in new attire, and so prepares for the spring growth ol 
another year. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FLOWERING PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENS. 

In entering on this section, I must revert to the beginning 
of the year and call attention to the snowdrop— pale, but not 
timid in decking the copse and sward long before the natural 
approach of spring. Like the hare-bell and the daffodil, the 
suowdrop is nearly familiar to all, requiring little descrption 
at my hands beyond the mode of culture, which would seem 
simple enough, seeing that it grows like the wild ferns from 
year to year, unattended by the care of man, requiring no 
shelter from the hardest frost, but a long season of rest, and 
that while kindred flowers may be said to be blooming, rad- 
iant in a sea of glory. 

"Blow away," the snowdrop says to them, "I shall bloom 
hereafter." The snowdrop cares not to feel the soft breeze 
of summer, nor the glorious ripening breath of autumn ; but, 
with an honest, unpretending ambition, it says, "Be mine 
the lot to marshal forward Flora's train." And on they march 
over their modest leader's grave. Battalion after battalion 
sinks like him on flood and field; and ere the tread of the 
last is heard trooping away, the dead leader is again about to 
rise to put on his helmet of snow. He has never yet failed 
his part; and if you would cultivate the snowdrop, be like 
nature in your treatment, and you need never question the 
resurrection of the little flower. 

The snowdrop, or galanthus nivalis of botanists, is one of 
the earliest flowers of the year, and belongs to a very ex ten- 



32 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

sive family of plants remarkable for their beauty. Solomon 
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these— a lily. 
Among the members of this family of lilies which may be 
classed along with the snowdrop as being suitable for the 
miniature greenhouse, and requiring nearly the same treat- 
ment, may be mentioned the daffodil, the hare-bell or wild 
hyacintl), and the crocus. Though the latter does not belong 
to the same family, yet it maybe termed a sort of third 
cousin, and it will never grumble to fare as the lilies fare. 

In the search for flowering plants, much greater difficulty is 
experienced than when ^looking for ferns, especially those 
varieties which are ever green, which can be found and 
transplanted at all seasons, short of the hardest frost. But 
not so with flowering plants, nearly all of which die com- 
pletely down to the ground after flowering and ripening their 
seed. Therefore to collect such plants the season is limited. 
Thus you might at autumntide hunt, and hunt in vain, in the 
fields and woods, in the hope of finding the snowdrop or some 
other member of the lily family. No doubt, the little bulbs 
from which the leaves and flowers spring are there; but they 
have no tombstone to tell where they lie buried. Their 
flowers, and their long, narrow, grass-like leaves have all 
perished. So, until they again rise up from the dark earth, 
it is in vain to seek for their whereabouts. 

The snowdrop begins to flower about the 25th of January, 
and blooms away, leading forth, ere it fades, the crocus, 
with its golden robes, to further open up the floral year. 
And then the daffodil, in primrose yellow, joins another link; 
and when the rich dews of May bathe mead and flowers, the 
hare-bell clothes the woods with sheets of lovliest blue. 
The snowdrop, the crocus, the daffodil, and the hare-bell, are 
nearly sufficient of themselves to make six months of the year 
gay with floral beauty. The snowdrop for chasteness, and 
the hare-bell for display, holds all our other plants at a dis- 
tance. Truly the purple gleam of the heath on the mountains 
in autumn is a magnificent display of sober richness, and we 
could do with the whirring wings of the black-cock; but the 
sharp crack of the breech-loader robs the scene of its purity, 
and dyes the heather, as it were, with a deeper stain than 
that which belongs to the gleam of the wild hyacinth; the 
associates of which are altogether of a different character. 
For the whirring wings of the black game we have soft, 
balmy breezes, awakening bud and flower, and for the sharp 
crack of the breech-loader we have a gust of the sweetest 
melody pouring forth from bush and tree. It may be said 
Hint the gleam of the hare-bell is the gleam of life and love, 
and that of the heather the gleam of decay and death. And 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 33 

surely to all mankiud the gleam of life and love must be the 
sweetest. 

When the snowdrop and its kindred cannot readily be 
found, a collection of those bulbs can be purchased for a 
very small sum of money from any nurseryman or seedsman, 
who to meet the ever-increasing demand for those fashion- 
able spring-flowering bulbs, annually import from Holland 
thousands, I may say millions, of hyacinth bulbs alone, be- 
side great quantities of tulips and narcissus— a plant nearly 
allied to our own daffodil. The Dutch cultivators, after 
growing the young bulbs on for a year or two, until they get 
fully matured, take them up, when they are dried and clean- 
ed, and packed off like so many boxes of onions for the sup- 
ply of the seedsmen. And the circumstance that those bulbs 
can be so treated gives them an utility which few other 
plants possess, unless it be through the means of the seed, 
and then more difficulty is experienced in rearing a seedling 
than in having something that will shoot up stout leaves and 
beautiful flowers, at a season, too, that to raise seedlings 
would be out of the question. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE CULTIVATION OF SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS. 

The proper season to buy the bulbs is about the end of 
September. Provide for the planting of these a few moder- 
ate-sized flower-pots, seven inches across the mouth, and the 
same in depth. Also procure some soil, such as that directed 
for the ferns, and add about a third more of river-sand to it, 
and, together with a little rotten manure, dry cow-sharn, 
gathered from the pastures, and well rubbed in amongst the 
soil, makes a very rich compost for the bulbs to grow in. 

To make a good pot of snowdrops, twelve bulbs will be re- 
quired, and will cost about ten cents. Drain the flower-pot 
as for ferns, and fill it about half full of soil, gently pressed 
down; then stick in the bulbs at equal distances, and fill up 
the pot with soil to within half an inch of the top, covering it 
over with a little moss, and placing the pot in the miniature 
greenhouse, the operation may be said to be finished. Avoid 
giving them water as a rule, but from time to time examine 
the soil and give it as little as the occasion requires. 

For a good display of crocus flowers, eight bulbs will 
be required for one pot, and you can have a dozen of the 
bulbs for the price of about ten cents also. Proceed to pot them 
in the same manner as pursued for the snowdrops, giving 
them the same after treatment which will also apply to the daf- 
fodil and the tulip, though three or four bulbs of each of these 



34 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 






are as much as is required for one pot of each, aud these will 
cost about thirty cents. Hyacinth bulbs cost from ten cents to 
two dollars each, and are generally planted one in a pot; 
but, instead of burying them in the soil, they are kept much 
nearer the surface. The pot being drained and tilled with soil, 
a hole is then made for the reception of the bulb, which, after 
the soil is nicely level round about it, should have its apex 
a little above the surface of the soil. Cover them well over 
with moss, and be careful not to give them much water until 
root action has fairly commenced, which will easily be known 
by the apex of the bulb swelling and gradually showing the 
points of the leaves. Water may then be given them more 
freely, and by and by you may place the pots in saucers, but 
do not let the water remain stagnant in the saucers, but 
empty them out frequently. 

Continue this treatment until the bulbs have flowered; but 
when the flowers begin to show signs of decay, gradually 
withdraw the supply of water, much in the same manner as 
you increased it, and not do as some ungenerous people do 
when they have got their turn served — wholly neglect those 
who iiave served them. The bulbs will repay you by bloom- 
ing and flowering again if you treat them well. Also be kind 
to them when dressed in their full robes of beauty, by sup- 
porting the flower-stalk with a nice little stake, and applying 
the sponge now and then to keep their long, narrow leaves 
free from dust. When the bulbs, after flowering, have rested 
for some time— say until July — shake them out of the pots 
and put them away in some dry situation, to be ready when 
the potting season again comes round. Where there are a 
few yards of land at command, the bulbs may be turned out 
of the pots, and allowed to ripen at leisure in the soil of the 
garden. And if you wish to lengthen the blooming season of 
those bulbs, such as the hyacinth and tulip, pot them at three 
or four intervals— say of a month apart— some in September, 
and the season will be lengthened accordingly. There is 
another way of growing the hyacinths in glasses made for the 
purpose. These glasses can be bought at the seedshops. 

The mode of cultivation in this way is very simple. The 
glasses are filled with soft water, and the bulbs are simply 
placed on the mouths of the glasses, the water being allowed 
just to touch the bottom of the bulb. The glasses are then 
put away, into some dark cupboard or other recess, until the 
bulbs have begun to grow. They are then brought forth to 
the light, and the water, from the beginning, is changed now 
and then to be perfectly sweet. The roots are also very fond 
of having a piece of charcoal placed in the water. Those, 
varieties" named in the list at the end of the book will do for 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 35 

either glass or pot culture, and both may be put to grow at 
the same time or at the same intervals, when intended foi 
suceessional flowering. 



CHAPTER XL 

SPRING-FLOWERIXG PLANTS. 

As a link in the succession of flowering plants to the out- 
going spring-flowering bulbs with the incoming summer- 
flowering plants, the Cineraria and Calceolaria will be found 
admirable for that purpose. But they are very subject to the 
aphis, or green-fly; and beside this drawback, the window 
gardener could never hope to be able to tide the plants suc- 
cessfully over the winter unless he possesses other appliances. 
All this reduces the importance of these plants for window 
culture to a minimum. But those who can spare a few dol- 
lars to purchase flowering plants from the nurseryman in 
early spring, may hope, by paying attention to the following 
hints on the cultivation, to realize a good display of flowers 
for their trouble: 

In proceeding to buy a few spring-flowering plants, it is 
almost necessary for me to go along with you to the nursery. 
As very probably you will become captivated at the sight of 
some plants beautifully in flower; and ere you have had 
them for a week with you at home, their brilliancy will have 
departed, and set you a sorrowing. Beside, I shall be the 
better able to point out to you a few other plants worthy of 
notice. 

And now we have stepped out at the palisaded front of the 
nursery, where thousands of all sorts of plants are reared to 
meet the demands of all comers. It is May, and we are 
marshaled forward by some civil guide to the cinerarias. 
" Oh, there's a charming one !" you exclaim. Yes, that one 
has been charming for some time, and the sooner ready to 
fade. See, here is one just bursting the calyx, or flower-cup, 
disclosing the crimson-tipped petals of the corolla. Buy this 
one. How interesting it will be to watch the numerous 
flower-buds that have yet to open, and imagine that you 
have done it all yourself. 

Well, certainly, the buds would never open unless you did 
your part now. When the cinerarias have got to their fresh 
quarters, they must never be compelled to cry out for water 
by the little buds hanging their heads, and the leaves be- 
coming dirty for the want of the sponge. And if you give 
them a nice light situation in the miniature greenhouse, the 
plants will thrive, and the buds will open, repaying the 
attention by remaining in flower for a considerable time. 



36 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW OrARDEN. 

We come now to the calceolaria, with its many curious 
little purses for flowers. What a brilliancy they give to the 
plant, yes; but you must not buy one full in flower, or it 
may grieve you in the same way as the ciueraria. There is 
one with its richly-colored flowers bursting the little green 
calyx. That one will do capitally; buy it, and treat it just 
as you have done the cineraria through the flowering season, 
supporting the flower-stems by tying them to neat wooden 
stakes, not too crowded together, and the plants will grow 
and display its pretty-colored purses to the be3t advantage. 
But, after all, what a deceitful thing it is to boast of purses 
when they are full of nothing but emptiness. 

What are you looking at, now ? That hothouse covered 
with canvas ? Ah, that is the den of secrets. No admit- 
tance there; that is where stems are grafted on to roots, and 
leaves turned into plants, with many other curious operations 
connected with the propagation of plants. Let us go to the 
cyclamen-house, and look at the sow-breads. Did you ever 
see such a sight ? Oh ! you are vexed now in purchasing 
what you have bought instead of some of these charming 
cyclamens, so neat and modest in appearance. Is your 
purse empty ? Oh no; but you have so many calls upon it. 
Well, this will be the last at present. Their beauty is irre- 
sistible. But will they live, then ? Yes, for years; and with 
little attention, the little plant will display for your amuse- 
ment the loveliness of its numerous little shuttlecock-like 
flowers. The cyclamen likes plenty of water during the 
growing and flowering season. Afterward the supply may 
be shortened; but not so as the soil to become thoroughly 
dry, and the plants should be placed in the airiest part of the 
greenhouse through the summer months, where it will ripen 
off its leaves, and lose them. About August, the plants 
should be re-potted, not necessarily into a larger pot, but 
into a clean one, using plenty of sand among the soil, taking 
care to keep the bulbous root (called a corm in this instance) 
just above the soil. And as the leaves begin to spring up 
from the corm the supply of water should be increased. 

In very frosty weather the temperature of the miniature 
greenhouse may be accommodated to such plants by leaving 
the window up of a night, after the household have retired to 
rest; or some artificial covering migh.t be thrown over the 
little structure. And now the link is joined to the summer- 
flowering plants. But, for the benefit of those who may have 
a little garden, and a cold frame, beside the miniature green- 
house, I will let the chain swing a moment to tell them a lit- 
tle more about the cultivation of the cineraria and the calceo- 
laria, so that they may be able to keep and propagate these 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 37 

plants, and save the expense of buying them year after year 
from the nurseryman. 

Let us suppose a couple of plants of each have been 
bought in April, either seedlings or named varieties, the latter 
for choice — Fire Queen and Captain Schrieber for cinerarias, 
and Cole's Gem and Prince of Wales for calceolarias. After 
the plants have done flowering, cut the flower stem from 
them and place them in the cold frame, which should be 
placed in the shadiest* part of the garden; or the plants may 
be placed out -openly in some shady part of the garden, 
with the pots resting on slates to prevent worms from get- 
ting into them. Be careful to water the plants through the 
summer, and by the beginning of September the cinerarias 
will have several young plants or suckers growing round 
about the old stools. A little sharp sandy soil must now be 
prepared, and a few small pots with a little crockage in the 
bottom. Turn the cinerarias out of their pots, and breaking 
the ball of soil nicely, endeavor to get the young plants away 
from the old stool with as many young roots as possible, and 
repot them, one by one, in the small pots. 

The young plants must now be placed under glass, such as 
a frame in the garden, and receive a gentle watering over- 
head from the rose(that part of the spout of the watering-pot 
pierced with numerous little holes), and the frame shaded and 
closed for a day or two. The plants will soon become estab- 
lished in their new quarters, requiring to be watered every 
day, needing also plenty of air, and must be kept free from 
the green-fly by fumigation. By degrees the plants will be 
ready for larger pots; and thus you may grow cinerarias for 
the million if you choose. On the approach of winter, the 
plants must be brought into the greenhouse, and kept grow- 
ing and free from frost, until they have flowered. The plants 
may also be raised from seed sown in May. For this purpose 
till a flower-pot with very fine soil, and sow the seed on the 
top, slightly covering it over with a little soil. Place a 
square of glass over the mouth of the pot, giving it a shady 
position in the garden, and attending to the soil with water. 
The plants will soon come up. When they are large enough 
to handle, pot and treat them the same way as the young 
plants from the old stool. 

The propagation of the calceolaria is somewhat different 
to that of the cineraria. It is also hardier in nature, some 
varieties resisting several degrees of frost. By the end of 
September the calceolarias will have made several young 
shoots, suitable for cuttings, or if cuttings are not required, 
the plants will be all the better for having them taken off', 
as they will make more bushy plants for another year. In 



38 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

ei riking the cuttings, fill a few small pots with sharp sandy 
5- oil, ready to receive the cuttings, which should be made in 
the following manner: Take the shoots off below the third 
pair of leaves, and with a sharp knife cut away the lower 
pair of leaves from the shoots, also the end of the shoots, 
close to the joint where the leaves spring from ; when this is 
done the cuttings will be ready for planting. With a little 
dibber make a hole in the center of the soil in the pot, and 
place the cutting therein nearly up \o the second pair of 
leaves, taking care to fix the cuttings nicely and firmly in 
the soil. When the cuttings are got in, they should be placed 
in the cold frame, watered and kept shaded for a few days. 
The cuttings will soon strike root; they may then be planted, 
three in a seven-inch pot, and grown forward to flowering 
season. The calceolaria can also be raised from seed, sown 
and treated in the same manner as the cineraria. 



CHAPTER XII. 

SUMMER-FLOWERING PLANTS: THE GERANIUM AND THE 
FUCHSIA. 

The fuchsia is strictly a summer-flowering plant, and 
though we see them both in winter and summer decorating 
the windows of the cottages not with flowers but with leaves, 
such a mode of treatment is ill suited to their nature. I can 
compare that sort of treatment to nothing else than the fool- 
ish task the pedestrian sets himself of walking a thousand 
miles in a thousand hours; and ere it is accomplished, be 
may be said to be neither sleeping nor waking. So with the 
fuchsia that is expected to grow summer and winter; the 
water given to it in the winter, may be said to be like the 
pricks and pinches given to the pedestrian to keep him awake 
to his task. What is the individual tit for when in this state ? 
To load his stomach with food might lose him the day, if not 
his life; but after a time of natural rest, vigor is partly re- 
stored, and the individual becomes ready again both for food 
and labor; and it is the same with the fuchsia after resting 
in due season. 

The fuchsia, like the geranium, is nearly everybody's plant, 
and may be purchased at any time from the nurseryman ; 
but April or May is the best season for doing so. When you 
get the plant home, examine in what state the roots are in. 
This is done by sliding the right hand on the mouth of the 
flower-pot, and turning the pot upside clown, give it a tap or 
two on the edge of the table. If the ball comes out easily, 
and the roots do not seem matted together but growing 
nicely, they are in a healthy condition. If the ball does not 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 39 

come out easily, and the roots seem to be matted, the plant is 
what is termed pot-bound, and would have been benefited 
had it been shifted into a larger pot. In either case shift the 
plant into a size larger pot, giving it a little richer soil than 
what it has been previously growing in, and see that the soil 
goes down round every part of the roots. The soil U3ed for 
the bulbs, with a little turfy loam added to it, will suit both 
the fuchsia and geranium. Give the newty-potted plant a 
good watering and place it in the greenhouse, and if you 
wish to have a nice bushy plant, pinch the point off the lead- 
ing shoot when about two feet high, doing the same by the 
other shoots which seem to have the lead. 

This pinching causes the plant to become nicely balanced 
with numerous branches, forming, as it were, a little pyra- 
mid. When this has come to pass, you must cease pinching, 
and let the plant have its will, and be sure at this stage never 
to suffer the roots to become very dry for lack of water; also 
the plant would be greatly refreshed by being sprinked over 
with water every evening. 

By July the fuchsia will begin to repay you for your trouble, 
with a grand display of beautiful ear-drops. You must then 
cease to water the plants overhead, but do not neglect the 
roots, and the display will be kept up for a long time. As 
soon as the leaves begin to turn yellow and drop from the 
plant, the supply of water should be gradually lessened, and 
the plant by degrees set to rest until the following spring. 
The plant should then be brought forth, and all the shoots 
which it made the year before considerably shortened, but 
still keeping a pyramidal outline ; also shake a portion of the 
old soil from the roots and re-pot the plant with fresh soil, 
remembering to give it plenty of drainage, and a little water 
now and then, and the plant will soon start into fresh life. 

The geranium is somewhat different in cultivation to the 
fuchsia, which loses its leaves entirely when at rest; but that 
period is not so observable in the geranium, which retains a 
portion of its leaves throughout the whole season, and 
requires rather more attention at the hands of the cultivator. 
The geranium has of late years greatly increased in beauty, 
and if it does require a little more attention than the fuchsia, 
that attention is well repaid not only by the beautiful flowers 
with which they are adorned, but also by the beautiful varie- 
gated leaves which some of the varieties produce. I would 
advise you to buy the geranium in April or May, and pursue 
the same treatment in potting the plant as for the fuchsia; 
and if any shoot is likely to take the asceudency, nip the 
point off, and do not let one side of the plant be always 
toward the light, but turn it round now and then, and Iherr 



40 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

by endeavor to grow a nice, bushy plant. And instead of 
watering the geranium overhead like the fuchsia, apply the 
sponge now and then to keep the leaves free from dust, and 
be careful not to allow water to lodge on the leaves for any 
length of time, as that will soon disfigure them. In winter, 
though the geranium is not actually at rest, yet the plant 
requires less water at the roots, but the leaves should always 
be kept free from dust. 

In very hard frosty weather, the geranium, or any other 
tender plant which you may have in the greenhouse, should, 
of an evening be brought to the inside of the window, in case 
Mr. Frost should put in a claim, and cruelly take the lives of 
your favorites. After the winter has been fairly tided over, 
the geranium should be re-potted, not necessarily into a 
larger pot, but into a clean one. If shifted into the same 
sized pot, the ball must be reduced, great care being taken 
in doing so not to break the roots. In re-potting, have the 
same care as you had with the fuchsia, in seeing that the 
soil goes down round every portion of the ball, and remem- 
ber to let the plant rise from the center of the flower-pot as 
perpendicular as possible. After the plant is potted, give the 
soil a good watering, taking care not to wash the soil over 
the sides of the pot. In the operation of potting, a little fore- 
thought should be given to that circumstance, which, if the 
soil fills the pot entirely, can scarcely be avoided. There- 
fore, let the soil be about half an inch beneath the rim of the 
flower-pot. 

In very hot dry weather, such plants as the fuchsia and 
geranium, especially when they are pinched for root-room, 
will be greatly benefited by having the pots in which they 
are growing protected with some artificial covering, the 
same as advised for the ferns. The flower-pot of itself is not 
sufflicient to prevent rapid evaporation ; in fact, it rather 
aids that effect, which we would now in a measure prevent, 
being of a very porous nature and a great conductor of heat. 
In summer, the soil the pot contains very soon becomes dry; 
and when we think that the roots of the plant may be lying 
thickly around the inside of the pot, we must conclude, when 
the soil is dry and the rays of the sun beating on the pot, 
that these roots must suffer greatly, and in fact, they very 
soon show it in the flaccid leaves of the plant; but cover the 
flower pot, or pop it into another, and the plant is able'to re- 
sist a greater amount of drought. In the former case, water 
would have to be given daily to the plant without any corres- 
ponding good effect; while in the latter, water two or three 
times a week would suffice, and the plant would thrive better. 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 41 

CHAPTER XIII. 

PROPAGATION OF THE FUCHSIA AND GERANIUM. 

If you are anxious to give a plant to a friend, I will now 
endeavor to show you how to raise a fuchsia or a geranium 
from cuttings, which is the general mode of propagating 
those plants. As soon as your fuchsia plant has made a 
young shoot of three pair of leaves and which can be cut ofl 
Without injury to the shape of the plant, with a sharp knife 
cut the shoot away from the plant beyond the lower pair of 
leaves. This young shoot is to' form the future plant, and is 
now termed a cutting. The next operation is to make the 
cutting; with a knife as sharp as a lancet cut away the lower 
pair of leaves as close as possible, without injury to the bark 
or skin of the cutting, and placing the edge of the knife across 
the end of the cutting close to where the leaves sprung from, 
press the knife through, and the cutting is made. If you are 
afraid of cutting your fingers in this operation, place the cut- 
ting between the fore and middle-fingers of the left hand, 
bringing the thumb-nail of the same hand under the end of 
the cutting, and with the knife in the right hand you can 
sever the end off to a hair's-breath, without any risk of cut- 
ting yourself. 

Without a moment's loss of time, after the cutting is made 
it should be put into the soil where it is intended to strike 
root. Therefore, for this purpose everything should be pre- 
pared previously to taking the cuttings off the plants. The 
soil prepared for cuttings is generally a good deal finer than 
that which is used for potting plants. If you have no fine 
sieve to pass the soil through, you must rub it well between 
your two hands, and casting out a!l the hard lumps, mix the 
soil with nearly an equal portion of silver-sand. The pots 
used for cuttings are generally of the smallest size; they are 
drained in the usual manner, and filled moderately firm with 
the soil, which then receives a thin coating of sand, and the 
whole is then well watered, and will be ready to receive the 
cuttings as soon as they are made. 

In the operation of putting in the cuttings, a hole is made 
in the soil with a little pointed stick, and the cutting is in- 
serted nearly to the first pair of leaves. Be sure that the 
end of the cutting is firmly embedded in the soil, and with a 
little more sand fill up any marks which have been made 
with the dibber. The cuttings should then receive a gentle 
watering, and if you have no glass shade to put over the cut- 
tings to keep in the moisture, and thereby prevent the dry 
atmosphere from shriveling them up, you must make a paper 
bag to put over them, and examine the soil now and then 
how it is for water; also take the paper bag off after it has 



42 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

beeu on for a few days, at first chiefly at night, and then by 
degrees during the day. In three weeks or so the cutting 
will have struck root, and be ready to be presented to your 
friend. 

The geranium, and a host of other plants, may be propa- 
gated after this manner, if taken at the proper season. With 
only the convenience of the miniature greenhouse, May and 
June will be the best season for striking the fuchsia ; while 
.August will suit the geraniums of both sections— that is, the 
zonale, or horse-shoe leaved varieties, embraciug all those 
kinds which are grown chiefly for the brilliant coloring of 
their leaves, and having trusses of white, pink or scarlet 
flowers; and the other section, commonly known as the show 
varieties, and which are chiefly cultivated for their magnifi- 
cent display of parti-colored flowers, with which they are 
adorned in the early summer months. But though cuttings 
of both sections may be struck in August, yet the cultivation 
of plants in the latter is somewhat different to the former. 
Say you buy a plant about the beginning of April; I would 
not look for any flowers from it that season, but I would en- 
courage it to grow by shifting the plant into a larger pot, and 
tying down all the branches that it made to as near the rim 
of the flower-pot as possible. 

I would thereby lay a good foundation for the future out- 
line of the plant; and as is the case with the fuchsia, or 
other varieties of geraniums, any shoot which seemed to have 
too much of the lead, I would nin the point off with my fin- 
ger and thumb, which would check it, and at the same time 
induce it to send out other shoots — a great secret of success 
in the training of such plants. From about the end of Sep- 
tember, and all through the winter months, the plant should 
be kept rather dry at the roots. On the approacli of spring, 
—say the beginning or April— shift the fplant into a larger 
pot, and give it a good watering. As the plant continues to 
grow, try to lead a young shoot to fill up the vacancy. By 
the end of May, you ought to have a nice bushy plant, re- 
quiring a moderate supply of water, and to be kept free from 
insects, such as the green fly— a great pest to this section of 
geraniums, which, if allowed to remain, will check the 
growth of the plant, spoiling the show of flowers. Therefore 
on the first appearance of the enemy, you must commence 
hostilities immediately, by pouring such a destructive fire ot 
tobacco-reek among the leaves that he will be quickly 
brought to nought. To accomplish this, make a paper bag 
big enough to envelope the plant, and while over the plant 
fill It full of pure tobacco-reek, and you will soon lay the pests 
on their backs. 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 43 

In training the plant you may at any time tie down, or 
lead any shoot into a gap, but none of the points should be 
pinched off for some time previous to the period of flowering. 
Thus, if you wish the plant to flower about the latter end 
of June, you must cease pinching at the beginning of May. 
Two or three weeks after the plant has done flowering, all the 
branches which it has made during the season are consider- 
ably shortened, In a short time after receiving this cutting 
down, as it is termed by gardeners, the plant, if healthy, will 
show signs of life, by the points of its branches becoming 
thickly studded with green buds, which in course of time will 
become young shoots, to form the plant and produce flowers 
for another season. 

Some of those little buds may have to be rubbed off; because, 
if they were all suffered to grow, the plant would he nothing 
but a mass of thin wood, which the plant, in supporting, 
would be sure to hurt itself in the struggle. But if these 
buds are all rubbed up to three or four on a branch, the plant 
having more food at its disposal, the young shoots accor- 
dingly become stronger, and capable of producing larger 
flowers, and in greater abundance. As this annual cutting 
down is the means of keeping the plant in a dwarf, bushy 
state for a great number of years, the roots also annually 
undergo such a treatment. 

Wheu the plant has been cut down, and the young shoots 
have begun to grow, the plant is turned out of the pot, and 
all the soil shaken from its roots. The plant is then re- 
potted with fresh soil, but in a much smaller sized pot, in 
which it remains all the winter. In March or April it is again 
shifted into the former sized pot, and receives very liberal 
treatment until the blooming season is past. It is then cut 
down again, and so on from year to year. 

You must not expect to be able to arrive at the same state 
of perfection in the cultivation of the fuchsia and geranium, 
as those who have every appliance at hand to bear upon 
the objects ; but, if you persevere steadfastly, I see no rea- 
son why you should not cultivate the friendship of flowers 
much sooner than that of boon companions, who, when your 
last shilling is melted in a flowing pot, will assuredly fall 
away from you like the leaves of the lime-tree in the earliest 
breath of winter. True, the flowers may fade, but they die 
away gradually; and when they can sustain a semblance of 
friendship no longer, they do not cut you completely, but 
linger with you until better days. That perseverance will 
lead you to enjoy a greater amount of pleasure than what 
you would receive with only the convenience Of the bare win- 
dow for the cultivation of the friendship of flowers. 



44 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

For an extension of summer-flowering plants, I cannot do 
better than recommend a few more gold and silver variegated 
geraniums. They have become very fashionable as a class 
of plants, and are likely to remain so, but it is not on that 
account I go in for them, it is rather for their brilliant colored 
leaves. They, without a flower at all, are pleasing the whole 
year round. In early spring, and all through the summer, 
the tints of the leaves are beautiful. In autumn and on to 
the friendly season of Christmas, the tinted coloring of the 
leaves seem to come out more vividly than ever, impressing 
one with an idea that the coloring matter of the flowers must 
have escaped by some means into the foliage, so beautifully 
is it inlaid with crimson and gold. Beside, the variegated 
geraniums will be found very suitable companions for ferns 
and other graceful foliaged plants. 

The varieties recommended to be grown are not of the 
newest stamp, for it must be remembered that this class of 
plants are of recent introduction, not from foreign countries, 
but from the hands of our own gardeners and nurserymen, 
who demand extravagant prices for new sorts, which are 
sometimes no better, if so good, as older varieties, and every 
year sees a whole lot of them spring into existence. There- 
fore, the sorts recommended, though old, yet from their good 
characteristics are sure to retain a prominent place in the 
lists of all cultivated plants. 

The golden variegated varieties are named Mrs. Pollock, 
Lady Cullum and Lucy Grieve. The silver variegated ones, 
Italia Unita, Picturata, and Rainbow, with Model for a gold 
and bronze-leaved variety. Being of established repute, any 
of these varieties will well repay the attention of the culti- 
vator. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

AUTUMN-FLOWERING PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 

With the autumn I come back to the lily family, and wish 
to introduce to your notice the Scarborough lily, or the Val- 
letta purpurea of botanists. I believe that I speak within 
bounds when I say that no plant, home or foreign, displays 
such a beautiful umbel of flowers for so little management 
as the Vallota purpurea. I am led to say so, not only from 
plants under my own management, but also from a plant 
which a friend of mine has had in his window for the last 
three years, in the same flower-pot, in the same soil, and 
with but a little drop of water now and then, it has never 
failed to bloom about August; beskle it has retained its 
beautiful, long, narrow, green leaves throughout the season. 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 45 

I mention the latter circumstance, because some cultivators 
allow the long leaves of the plant to fall back to the ground 
and so become decayed, long before their proper time, and 
the plant thereby makes a very shabby appearance during 
one half of the year. 

The bulbous root of the Vallota resembles a brown thick- 
necked onion, and the long leaves have nothing to support 
them but the thin scale of the bulb, which very often breaks, 
and so comes down their beautiful leaves. My friend pre- 
vents that mishap by wrapping a piece of soft paper round 
the neck of the bulb, but not too tight as to interfere with 
the graceful hanging of the leaves. A good sized bulb of the 
Vallota, in a pot, may be bought at any time for about fifty 
cents. After procuring it, let it remain in the pot in 
which it had been growing, but wrap the plant round the neck 
with some soft material, and give the roots plenty of water 
during summer, withdrawing the supply in winter all but suf- 
ficient to keep the leaves from flagging, and the Vallota will 
do well in the miniature greenhouse. 

I mentioned the chrysanthemum as bringing up the last 
link of the floral year; but I would not lead you to think that 
you could cultivate it to any perfection with but the con- 
venience of the miniature greenhouse. The chrysanthemum 
likes plenty of fresh air, and it suffers terribly, if its roots are 
pot-bound. Nevertheless, 'if you had a yard or two of land 
attached to your dwelling, I can put you in the way of grow- 
ing that plant so as you might make the miniature green- 
house gay with flowers from October until Christmas. 
Perhaps some of my readers may have a garden, as well as a 
miniature greenhouse; therefore, I will endeavor to instruct 
them how to proceed in the cultivation of the chrysan- 
themum. 

At the end of May, buy two young plants from the nursery- 
man, say, Jardin des Plantes as a yellow, and Ion as a white 
variety. Take them out of the pots, and plant them into the 
soil of the garden, and as the plants continue to grow, you 
must by judicious pinching so cause the plants to throw out 
several shoots, which cught to be tied to stakes to prevent 
the wind from breaking them. About the middle of August 
fill a number of six or seven-inch flower-pots with good, rich 
soil, and make as many stout pegs; then loosing a branch of 
the chrysanthemum from the stake, carefully bend it down to 
the ground, and peg the point of the branch on to the soil in 
the flower-pot; proceed in the same manner to peg down as 
many branches as you require. 

When the operation is completed, put a handful of soil on 
the top of each pot, and give them all a good watering, con- 



46 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

tinuing to do so daily, if the weather be droughty. By the 
end of September the plants will have grown wonderfully, 
and established themselves in the pots. They may be then 
severed from the parent plant, and brought in to decorate 
the miniature greenhouse. Thus the two young plants bought 
in May, may be made to produce two dozen nice flowering 
plants by October. 

CHAPTER XV. 

AUTUMN-FLOWERING PLANTS: THE CHINESE PRIMULA, OR CHINA 
PRIMROSE. 

This plant is a great favorite with gardeners for the deco- 
ration of conservatories in autumn and winter; and al- 
though considerable skill and attention is requisite from the 
time of sowing the seed in May up to rearing good plants in 
autumn, yet much of this can be avoided by purchasing a few 
flowering plants at that season from the nurserymen. After 
the primula has commenced to flower, the plant requires 
little attention beyond watering about twice a week during 
winter, and picking off the decayed flowers from the plant, 
also avoid lettiug the pot stand in a saucer containing water. 
By these little attentions the primula wili open its salver- 
shaped flowers one after the other the whole of autumn and 
the greater part of winter. The plants are very seldom kept 
after the flowering season. 

For those who have the appliance of a glass frame and a 
garden, plants may be raised from seed in the following 
manner: 

Sow the seed in May on the surface of very fine soil, well 
mixed with silver-sand, in a flower-pot or shallow pan, and 
cover the seed slightly with a little of the soil. The soil 
should now be watered, and a square of glass placed over the 
mouth of the pot or pan, and put into the frame where 
cucumbers or other tender plants may be growing. 

In a few days the plant will appear. When large enough 
to be taken in the fingers, shift them one by one into very 
small pots, having similar soil to that in which they have 
been growing, and replace them in the frame. 

Attending to water, shading, etc., the roots of the plants 
will soon fill the little pots. The plants must now be shifted 
into larger pots — say from four to seven inches across the 
mouths— in which ti.ey will remain and flower. In potting 
the plants keep their necks rather above the soil than under 
it; and if the plants be rather weak in the neck, and bend 
over to one side, support them in an upright position by 
slicking three little sharp-pointed stakes into the soil at right 
angles, and close to the neck of the plant. As the plants 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 47 

grow they should be inured to the air, and receive plenty of 
water. By August they will be ready to flower. The plants 
may then be taken into the miniature greenhouse, and tended 
onwards to their linal bloom. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CULTIVATION OF PLANTS IN WINDOW-BOXES. 

With the protection of a screen or blind, fixed to the win- 
dow, and drawn down over the plants in inclement weather, a 
greater range of plants may be cultivated in the window- 
boxes. With the above simple protection, the spring-flower- 
ing bulbs, such as the crocus, the tulip, the hyacinth, etc., 
might be grown to great perfection. After those have 
flowered, the box might be replenished, by sowing or plant- 
ing: a few pots of mignonette; and by May, the Tom Thumb 
scalet geranium might be planted with advantage. Even in 
winter the boxes might be made to look comely by a cover- 
ing of mosses, gathered from off old walls or other buildings 
in the country. 

If it be thought desirable to plant the box with spring- 
flowering bulbs, to make it look well, a little arrangement in 
planting is then requisite. You may plant a patch of snow- 
drops at each end of the box, succeeded by a patch of cro- 
cuses, and one of early Due van Tholl tulips, with three or 
four hyacinths in the middle of the box; this will make a very 
agreeable arrangement of the plants, and will give greater 
effect than if the bulbs were planted by each other promiscu- 
ously. 

The bulbs should all be planted in September or October, 
about three inches deep, and the surface of the soil covered 
over with moss or sphagnum, easily procurable at the nur- 
sery, if a mossy bank is uot at hand. In about six or seven 
weeks after the bulbs are planted, the coming up of the 
plants may be looked for. Those that are peeping up through 
the soil should be allowed to appear through the moss, and 
receive occasional waterings. In order to ward ofl*wet or 
frosty weather, the blind should be drawn over the plants. 
After the bulbs have bloomed, and the season be suitable 
for replanting the box with other flowers, the bulbs may be 
taken out and planted in the garden, or in a few pots, or a 
box, or any article that would hold them, and where they 
could be placed to ripen off at leisure. 

Information having been already given on the subject of 
cultivating spring-flowering bulbs and other plants, repeti- 
tion is unnecessary. With regard to the cultivation of an- 



48 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

nuals, such as the Virginian stock, candytuft, etc., for win- 
dow-boxes, the seed should be sown about a quarter of an 
inch under the surface of the ground; and when the plants 
come up, they should be thinned out a little, if they be too 
thick, giving them plenty of water, and they will soon repay 
the attention by blooming profusely. 



HOW TO MAKE AN AQUARIUM. 



One of the most delightful amusements of the day, is the 
fitting up and stocking an aquarium, or mimic fish-pond. 
The aquarium is a tank, wherein the flsh and water vegetables 
are placed— the one to consume carbon and give out oxygen, 
and the other to consume oxygen and give out carbon, in 
such proportions that the water is always kept pure. In the 
aquarium, by an imitation of nature, you have a miniature 
fish-pond, wherein the habits of fish and the growth of sub- 
aqueous vegetation are laid open to the observer, so as to 
afford him continual amusement. 

The salt-water aquarium is a miniature sea, and the fresh- 
water aquarium a miniature pond. Both, to be real aquaria, 
must have in themselves the power of keeping vegetable pro- 
ductions fresh and growing, and animals alive, without the 
necessity of changing the water. The few cubic feet of water 
enclosed in the glass box must remain pure from month to 
month, kept so by the animal and plant life therein existing; 
and so soon as any appearance of decay in the plants, or of 
unusual mortality among the live inhabitants is observed, it 
may be taken as a sure sign that something is wrong in the 
structure or condition of the little world. 

The principle upon which the aquarium, either of sea or 
fresh water, is founded, is the following: A plant immersed 
in water will, under the influence of light, exhale oxygen gas; 
and this oxygen it is that all fish and marine and fresh-water 
animals require to sustain life. When goldfiish are kept in a 
bowl, they would soon die if the water were not continually 
changed; for they exhaust the oxygen from the small supply 
of water in the bowl, and there is nothing to revivify the 
water from which they have extracted what is to them an indis 
pensable element of life. The introduction of plant-growth- 
however, alters all this ; the plants give out the necessary 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 49 

oxygen, while some of the animals, on their part, repay the 
obligation by feeding on any of the vegetable matter that be- 
gins to decay, and cause turbidity in the water. Thus a bal- 
ance is maintained, the vegetable and animal inhabitants- of 
the little glass world being equally and mutually necessary 
to each other's well-being. A few sea-snails, or periwinkles, 
for a salt water, and half a dozen pond-snails for a fresh-water 
aquarium, are the best scavengers in the world; and the best 
of it is, they keep themselves, without putting their owner to 
any expense whatever. 

The aquarium is made properly of two materials. The bot- 
tom and ends should be made of marble or slate, and the two 
sides of glass— though for fresh-water aquaria all the sides 
may be made of glass, set in iron pillars, if the latter be. enr 
ameled. We prefer the former method. The end-pieces 
have grooves cut in them to receive the plate glass, which is 
then cemented, and made water-tight. There are simila, 
grooves in the bottom. The cement should be such as will 
not decompose and taint the water. The tank, if you are near 
a large city, can be bought cheaper than you can make 
it. 

Having bought your tank, see that the cement or putty it 
may contain is perfectly dry. Cleanse it thoroughly by filling 
it with successive changes of water. It is useless introduc- 
ing any specimen until the water in the tank remains per- 
fectly free from any impurity, contracted from the vessel in 
which it is placed. 

Where to place the aquarium is a very important point, and 
one which should be very carefully attended to— the object 
being to imitate, in the artificial pool of water, as closely as 
possible, the position of a natural pond, or sea. The first 
thing to remember is, that light is necessary for the exhala- 
tion of oxygen; but that the light must fall as it wonld on a 
real pool of water— i. e., never laterally, or from the side, but 
always from the top. The aquarium should, therefore, be 
placed in a position where it may receive plenty of sunlight, 
tempered, however, by the shade of over-hanging plants, or 
by a screen during the hottest hours of the day ; for should 
the water become thoroughly warm, a great mortality among 
the inhabitants is almost certain to ensue. For this reason, 
many aquaria are made with a slab of slate on the side where 
the sunlight, if unchecked, would strike sideways through 
the water; when this is not done, a thick curtain of green 
baize, or some other impervious material, will answer the 
purpose. Do not place the aquarium in any place where it 
is likely to be moved, or shaken, in closing shutters, or 



50 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN 

similar operations; a grand point toward success is that, 
once fixed, it should remain entirely undisturbed. 

The aquarium being cleansed and clear, the next thing is 
to prepare the ground or bottom of the miniature sea. Sand 
and pebbles, to the depth of about four inches, must first be 
introduced. Rockwork must now be introduced— either arti- 
ficial material such as is used for the borderings of gardens, 
or pieces of natural rock, collected on the sea-shore. A 
great deal of the appearance of the aquarium, when finished, 
will depend upon the manner in which these pieces of rock 
are distributed and arranged. They should form natural 
caves, in which the animals may conceal themselves at pleas- 
ure, and jutting promontories, one or more extending above 
the water. These rocks should be firmly fixed, by propping 
them up with sand and pebbles, scooped away around their 
bases. No pains should be spared to make the arran *ement 
of rock and water as picturesque as possible, as, once com- 
pleted, it cannot be again interfered with. In some aquaria, 
this layer of sand and pebbles is dispensed with, and the 
pieces of rock are merely fastened with a little cement, or 
even placed loose on the slate floor of the vessel, on the 
ground that some of the smaller animals hide themselves 
among the shingle, and, dying there, infect the water; but, 
with care, this may be prevented. 

The period of the sea-side visit is the time to procure trea- 
sures for the aquarium. There are, indeed, several places in 
New York and other large cities where specimens of all kinds, 
both animal and vegetable, may be procured; but no supply 
thus purchased can make up for the pleasure and profit to be 
derived from collecting the whole stock for your aquarium 
yourself, and the specimens thus collected may easily be 
brought, safe and sound, to the finder's inland home; for 
this part of the task, moreover, we shall presently give a few 
directions. At low water, when the sea is retiring from the 
foot of the cliffs, leaving a large expanse of weed-covered 
rock uncovered, follow the margin of the retiring waters, 
armed with a chisel and hammer; for you must, in collecting 
your specimens, avoid all that are merely lying on the rocks, 
and which, in nine cases out of ten, are dead. You must 
chip off' a little piece of the rock on which the weeds are 
growing that you collect, and bring them away adhering to a 
piece of their native rock— though a very small fragment, 
just enough for the weeds to cling to, will be sufficient, as 
sea-weeds have no roots. Take care that there are no 
decaying weeds or animals on the bits of stone; for if they 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 51 

are suffered to remain, and begin to decay in your vase, they 
may be the rain of the whole collection. 

In making your selection of sea-weeds, or algae, choose ex- 
clusively the smaller and liner kinds ; the large coarse fuci 
are too strong for the purpose, and cover the aquarium with 
slime in decaying. The smaller and more delicate specimens 
are frequently found hidden under the shelter of the larger 
kinds, or nestling beneath rocky ledges. In every case re- 
move them gently, taking care that a portion of the rock on 
which they grow is detached with them. Endeavor to obtain 
specimens of as many various colors and forms as possible; for 
on the judicious arrangement and contrast of colors— crimson, 
and purple and green, and olive — the appearance of your 
aquarium will mainly depend. The pretty litlte purple-tinted 
coralline (corattina officinalis) is exceedingly well adapted 
for the purpose; likewise the pinnate-leaved laurencia. 

The Common Sargassum is an interesting specimen found 
on the American shores of the Atlantic. The stems are a 
foot or more in length, alternately pinnated with simple 
branches. The plant is dark olive-colored, changing to red - 
dish brown, upon exposure to air. The small pea-like shells 
growing upon its stems are air-vessels, which iloat the large 
stems of the plant in water. 

The Buck's Horn Fugus is destitute of air-vessels, but the 
extremities of the fronds are inflated, forming terminal recep- 
tacles. The fronds are from a few inches to a foot and a half 
in length, olive-green color, with a tinge of yellow at the ex- 
tremities. 

The Dichotomous Dictyola grows upon rocks, as well as 
upon the larger algae. The fronds are from two to nine inches 
in height, green in color, forming a beautiful specimen when 
dried. There are narrow and broad fronded varieties, of the 
same species. 

The Peacock's Tail Pavonia is a curious species, growing 
chiefly in rocky pools, where the water is still, and exposed 
at low tide. The frond is membraneous and spreading, pre- 
senting various shades of brown, and yellowish or reddish 
olive, which, with the numerous darker and concenlrical 
lines, and a white bloom-like powder, spreading over and 
more or less modifying the multiplied hues, renders this one 
of the most beautiful and remarkable of all our marine vege- 
tables. Several generally rise from the same base in erect 
or slightly spreading tufts, seldom more than two or three 
inches high, the divisions arising apparently not from growth, 
but from laceration, or separation after growth, the same 
concentrical lines being continued in the same curve through 
all the segments. 



52 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 






The Articulated Chylocladia may be found either grow- 
ing upon rocks, or attached to some larger plants. Its 
fronds are tubular, looking like a series of the cells of an 
orange, united at their extremities; the branches spring 
from some of these constructions, and the plant grows in 
tufts, from a creeping, fibrous base, and rises in height from 
one to six inches; they are of a tender substance, and pur- 
plish or pinky-red colored. This plant, and other varieties 
that are allied to it, are only of annual duration; but the 
minnte disk, in all of them, is accompanied by fibres, which 
creep along the rock or stem of the supporting plant, fixing 
themselves here and there, and forming the rudiments of 
future frond3. 

The Red Rock-Leaved Delessaria is one of a beautiful 
genus, of which there are about a dozeu varieties. They are 
plants of very fragile texture, rarely found entire, unless 
growing in rocky pools, or drawn up in nets from deep water. 
The leaves of the Delessaria sanguinea are of a rich red color, 
and satiny texture, ar.d from three to twelve inches in length ; 
the short-brauched stem is fixed by a small red disk. 

When this plant is perfect, it is scarcely equaled in bril- 
liancy of hue by any vegetable production, the membran- 
eous part of the frond being of a vivid and glossy rose pink, 
tbe midrib and veins of deep carmine. Frequently small 
zoophytes are found attached to it. 

The Esculent Irid.ea consists of a subcartilaginous cune- 
iform frond, attenuated below into a short stipe. Being an 
inhabitant of deep water, it is most commonly found near the 
low-water mark. The fronds are from four to eight inches 
long, deep blood-red or purple, changing to greenish or yel- 
lowish white upon exposure. It is sometimes eaten by fish- 
ermen, and other people on the coast, after being fried or 
roasted, and it is said to taste like roasted oysters. The term 
iridoea has reference to the iridescent hues of the growing 
frond in some of the species. 

The Feathered Ptilota is of a red color, characterized, with 
some three or four varieties, by the feathered form of the 
frond. It is frequent on rocky coasts, grows from three 
inches to a span in length, and is attached by a small disk. 
The younger branches are pale crimson or pink; the older, 
deep purplish red, passing into brown. This is a beautiful 
object, viewed under a microscope or magnifyiug-glass of 
high power; the surface appears dotted with coral-like scales, 
and the fruit is contained in small involucres at the extremi- 
ties of the segments. 

The Blunt Ruscous-like Delessaria is a red-fronded 
species, growing upon rocks, and upon the larger mariue 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. bo 

plants. Thte is remarkable for the production of small 
leaves from the midrib of the fronds. 

The Lacerated Nitof-hyllum is another of the red gioup, 
its fronds being irregularly divided. It is very frequently met 
with on rocky coasts, growing from a minute discoid base, 
from which it is frequently broken away by the waves. The 
whole plant is in general very thin and delicate, of a pale 
pinkish red, varying to reddish brown. The lower part of 
the frond is always more or less distinctly marked with par- 
allel, interbranching dark veins, originating at the base, and 
generally vanishing at the length of two or three inches, but 
sometimes extending even into the branches. The species is 
exceedingly variable in reference to the breadth and lacera- 
tions of the frond. The alga thrives well in a tank. 

The feathery bryopsis, leafy laminasia, and curly condrus, 
also flourish well ; and with the broad-leaved ulva, the pur- 
ple bagnia, and purse-like cod-rain, will form a beautiful 
mixture of colors, that may well rejoice the heart of the as- 
piring projector of the aquarium. 

There is much difficulty in exhibiting by small engravings 
the true portraits of sea-weeds, because the forms of the 
most interesting specimens are minute, and more particu- 
larly the details are such as can only be observed by atten- 
tive examination, aided, in some cases, by the microscope, or 
by magnifying-glasses. To be transported from the seaside 
to the collector's inland home, these specimens must be very 
carefully packed in damp sea-weed. The broad oar-weed is 
the best for the purpose, being at once stout and smooth and 
holding a great amount of moisture. The weeds should be 
replaced in their native element, in the tank, as soon as pos- 
sible, before the least decay has had time to set in. There 
are certain periods in each month when the tide recedes 
lower than usual, leaving a portion of the rocks dry that is 
usually covered even at low water. If possible, these times 
should be chosen for collecting, for a rich harvest of beautiful 
specimens is sure to reward the collector; and the plants that 
just grow below low-watermark are exactly those that thrive 
best in the narrow precincts of the tank. Very few of the 
smaller specimens will fail to flourish if, when obtained, they 
are quite healthy; but they must be carefully watched, and 
any weed that exhibits the least sign of yellowness or decay, 
at once removed, before it can infect the rest. Avoid brown 
weeds of the larger kind; they slough, and make the water 
turbid and offensive, and thus ruin all your efforts. 

When the vegetable products of the ocean have been left un- 
disturbed for a few days in the tank— a fortnight is not at all 
too long— and the water assumes, a clear, greenish, crysta\ 



54 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

appearance, and when minute bubbles are seen adhering to the 
sides of the leaves, and rising to the surface of the water, the 
time has come for introducing the zoological specimens to 
their new abode; for these minute bubbles are tilled with 
oxygen gas, and their presence is a sign that the water is iu 
a tit state to support animal life with all its requirements in 
the way of oxygen. Now is the time to go out on the sea- 
shore in search of inhabitants for the newly-organized sea; 
and we must give a description of some of the animals that 
will best thrive in the aquarium, and a few directions as to 
the method of finding and preserving them. 

The Sea- Anemone, or Actinia, in its different varieties, is 
one of the first objects for which the young naturalist should 
search —if, indeed, it can be called a search, when the objects 
of quest lie scattered at low tide along every coast, and it is 
rather a matter of selecting than finding; but on this selec- 
tion the appearance of the aquarium will greatly depend. 

These are the curious creatures that were once thought to 
form the link between the animal and vegetable kingdoms. 
Because they were found attached to rocks, it was contended 
that they derived nourishment by a system of roots; and be- 
cause they put forth long and slender arms, it was contended 
that they had branches analogous to those of a plant ; while, 
being able to move their arms, and taking and digesting 
food, they were held to partake also of an animal nature. 

Attentive observation has shown, however, that they are 
not permanently fixed to rocks: they have the power of 
moving from one place to another, and attaching themselves 
anew, whenever such a removal is desirable. 

When the animal is left dry by. the tide, or is reposing or 
feeding, the tentacula are drawn in, and the common orifice 
closed, when covered with water, and searching for food, 
the tentacula are extended, and move about with a gentle 
undulating motion. When the anemone changes its abode, 
it quits hold of the rock, and reversing its position, uses the 
tentacula as legs. When shells, pieces of raw fish, or meat 
are offered to them, if not too large, they will be imme- 
diately seized and swallowed; and although the shells pf 
mollusks given to them may be firmly closed, they manage in 
some extraordinary way to consume the fish and eject the 
shells empty. 

There are many varieties of the sea-anemone; the hand- 
somest is the carnation-like sea-anemone, tinted in various 
shades of red. The scientific name for the carnation-ane- 
mone is A ctinia mesembryantliemum ; but Americans, who 
don't in general care for long Latin names, have unceremoni- 
ously shortened this into " mes." There are other well-known 



HOW TO KEEP A WINIOW GARDEN. 55 

kinds of anemone, known as the "daisy," the "wheat- 
sheaf," and the "crass," which is an abbreviation of cras- 
sicrais. 

A little below high-water mark, plenty of specimens of the 
"mes" anemone maybe found. The more they are ex- 
posed to the light and the air, the darker is their color. 
Thus, the beautiful pale pink varieties are to be sought for 
nearer to low-water mark, and in situations where overhang- 
ing weeds or stones shelter them from the sun. Those found 
half-way between high and low water mark are generally a 
fine bright red; and the anemones in exposed positions are 
almost brownish in the darkness of their tints. 

The "crass" is generally to be sought for in crevices, 
behind bunches of overhanging weeds. In your wanderings 
along the coast, if you stop at any overhanging lump of rock, 
from which sea-weeds hang down, so as to form a natural 
screen, if you lift this screen, you will see some stones and 
shells which seem to be arranged on some gelatinous sub- 
stance. This substance is a " crass." By touching the base 
with your finger, you will find whether the crass is fixed on 
the solid rock, or on the loose sand. If the former is the 
case, better leave him alone, and search for another specimen ; 
for he holds on so tightly, that you will scarcely succeed in 
detaching your crass without injuring him in such a way that 
he won't live in the aquarium. A good many are generally 
found together, so that there is no need to run the risk of 
carrying away an injured specimen, as a little further search 
will almost invariably show you plenty more crasses where 
you have found one. Choose two or three that have fixed 
themselves to small bits of stone or rock that you can cbip off, 
and bring them away with the stone. The smaller specimens 
are best, for they live longest, and look most ornamental. 

Small specimens of star-fish are very interesting objects for 
the aquarium, with their strangely colored rays and extraor- 
dinary motions. There are many varieties of this strange 
creature. The star-Ash has a considerable tendency to loco- 
motion and is quite a lively object among the sedate occu- 
pants of the aquarium. The brittle star-fish is one of the 
handsomest specimens, displaying, in addition to its curious 
form, vivid hues, arranged in beautiful patterns. It is called 
brittle from the curious property of spontaneously dividing 
itself, separating into pieces with wonderful quickness and 
ease. Touch it and it flings away an arm ; hold it, and in a 
moment not an arm remains attached to the body. The star- 
fish moves by means of a multitude of little suckers on the 
under side of each ray, which adhere to the surface over 
which he walks, on the principle of the leathern "suckers'' 



56 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GAKDEN. 

with which boys raise bricks and stones, by exhausting the 
air between the stone and the sucker. Iu traveling, the star- 
fish puts three of his rays out in front, while the remaining 
two follow behind. They are evidently affected by the pres- 
ence of light, and in the aquarium will grow lively when a 
lighted candle is brought near them. 

The Echinus, commonly called the sea hetlge-hog, or sea- 
urchin, is a great treasure for the aquarium, and may be 
seized as a prize whenever found. They are mostly of a 
conical or spherical shape, divided into five segments, 
covered with minute holes, from which project tentacles, 
serving as organs of locomotion, touch, etc. The surface of 
the body is covered with shelly spines, of various forms and 
thicknesses. The mouth is in the center; they feed upon 
marine productions. 

Mussels are bivalve mollusks, living in strong shells of an 
oblong triangular form, terminating in a point. The head of 
the animal is situated toward the point, near the hinge. Mus- 
sels abound on rocks, and the piles of piers and quays, to 
which they attach themselves by bunches of 3trong fibres. 
When they move, which they sometimes do, they thrust a 
tongue-like foot out of the shell, and fixing it some way in 
advance, draw themseves onward. The mussel should al- 
ways have a place in the aquarium. It is a very hardy 
creature, and although familiar to everyone, is by no means 
an uninteresting object of contemplation. It especially com- 
mands our admiration, whenever, by means of its byssus 
(formed by a number of silk-like threads), it anchors itself 
to the sides of the tank, becoming so fixed that it would take 
pretty considerable force to dislodge it. 

Barnacles are often to be found upon the sea-shore, drifted 
thither upon the wood of a wrecked ship, or other floating 
body. We have seen a ship's mast, which had long driven 
about at sea, literally covered with them. They are often 
found clinging in great numbers to the bottoms of ships, 
greatly retarding their speed. They grow or live in clusters, 
each barnacle consisting of a membranaceous branch or 
arm, which is fixed to some body, the animal being invested 
with compressed shells, attached to the pedicel. The larger 
barnacles cluster with the smaller in the same group, and 
form bunches of various sizes. They are furnished with 
many tentacula, with which they gather their food. 

When ships covered with the barnacle arrive iu our ports, the 
barnacles are eagerly scraped off by men, who take them for 
sale as marine curiosities, or who make their delicate white 
porcelain-like shells into some kind of fancy shell-work. The 
barnacles themselves are eaten on some coasts of Africa, 



HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 57 

where they are very abundant. The shell of this animal is at 
the end of a long fleshy stalk, generally of a purplish red, 
sometimes of a bright orange color, and is of the form called 
multivalve, being composed of five pieces or valves, two of 
them on each side of the animal, and a narrow piece down 
the back. It is a pretty shell, clear and brittle, of a white 
color, tinged with pale blue. 

The Common Crab is too well known to require a descrip- 
tion of its peculiarities of form ; but there are interesting 
facts connected with the history of its species which are not 
commonly understood. Some few species of crabs penetrate 
to a considerable distance inland, and are compelled to re- 
turn to the sea at the period of spawning. Among the ma- 
rine species, the majority do not quit the shores, while others 
are found at great distances in the high seas, where they can 
rest only on the floating banks of sea-weeds, so abundant in 
the tropics. Some species again frequent only the rocky 
parts of the coast, while others prefer sandy shoals, in which 
they can bury themselves. 

The most remarkable facts in connection with their history, 
are their periodical moulting, and the recently discovered 
metamor glioses which they undergo in the early stages of 
their existence, some very curious creatures, long regarded 
by naturalists as a distinct genus, zoea, have been discover- 
ed to be the larvce of crabs, into which they ultimately be- 
come transformed. These transformations take place when 
the crabs are of very diminutive size, little larger than a flea; 
and hence they are not open to ordinary observation, but may 
be seen with the aid of a microscope, or a powerful magnify- 
ing-glass. At first the young crab appears with a curiously 
helmeted head, surrounded by numerous lengthy processes, 
and having large sessile eyes; in the second stage it presents 
more of the crab-like character, the abdominal organs being 
more fully developed. A similar metamorphosis takes place 
among both the highest classes of cetacea; and in their 
earlier stages of development they very nearly resemble each 
other, though they may differ very widely when fully devel- 
oped. 

THE SALT-WATER AQUARIUM. 

Hermit Crabs are soft-tailed creatures, and, in the absence 
of a shell to cover their posterior extremities, they occupy 
ithe empty shells of whelks, or other mollusks, as they may 
happen to find them. As they grow they are occasionally 
obliged to quit their old tenement, and seek a larger one. 
Its manner of doing this is thus described by the Rev. J. G. 
Wood : 

"When a hermit desires to change his habitation, he goes 



58 HOW TO KEEP A WINDOW GARDEN. 

through a curious series of performances, which, if he had 
hands, we ahould be disposed to call manipulations. A 
shell lies on the ground, and the hermit seizes it with his 
claws and feet, twists it about with wonderful dexterity, as 
if testing its weight; and having examined every portion of 
its exterior, he proceeds to satisfy himself about the interior. 
For this purpose he pushes his fore-legs as far into the shell 
as they will reach, and probes, with their assistance, every 
spot that can be reached. If this examination satisfies him, 
he whisks himself into the shell with such rapidity, that bo 
appears to be acted upon by a spring." 

[THE END.] 



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For every club of five names, sent at one time, together witb 
i the subscription price, we will send one copy free. 

For sale by all newsdealers, or sent to your address, post-paid, or 
; receipt of price. Address 

FKANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

Vox &730. 34 and 36 North Moore Street. New York. 



1 
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i 



1 
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Handsomely Illustrated. 

FUN IN THIRTY-SIX DIFFERENT WATS. 

BOOKS ISSUED. 

The Bald-headed Club 10 Cento 

Going to the Country 10 Cents 

Red Hot lOCents 

A Quiet Fourth of July 10 Cents 

Good Templars Exposed 10 Cents 

On a Jury 10 Cents 

My Wife's Mother 10 Cents 

Dodging a Creditor 10 Cents 

Mrs. Snoodles' Curtain Lectures 10 Cents 

Shorts. 10 Cents 

Smiles 10 Cents 

Where are You Going? 10 Cents 

An Hour's Fun 10 Cents 

A Basket of Funny Things 10 Cents 

Mulligan's Boarding House 10 Cents 

Hash 10 Cents 

A Cure for the Blues 10 Cents 

Our Baby 10 Cents 

A Box of Jokes 10 Cents 

Joining the Freemasons 10 Cents 

Pounds of Fun 10 Cents 

The Tickler 10 cents 

Our Servant Girls 10 Cents 

Miss Blinker's Blinds 10 Cents 

Fun for a Dime 10 Cents 

Rib Crackers 10 Cents 

Funny Stories by a Funny Fellow 10 Cents 

My Birthday 10 Cents 

A Bachelor's Love Scrapes 10 Cents 

Laughing Gas 10 Cents 

Uncle Sam's Jeke Book 10 Cents 

The Big Joker 10 Cents 

The Little Joker 10 Cents 

Cold Day Jokes 10 Cents 

I Should Smile 10 Cents 

Snow-Balls 10 Cents 

The above books are for sale by all news-dealers in the United 
States and Canada, or will be sent to your address, postage free, on 
receipt of price. Address 

FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

34 and 36 North Moore Street, New TorTe. 



THE FIVE-CENT 

WEEKLY LIBRARY 

A NEW LIBRARY ISSUED EVERY MONDAY. 



The following are the numbers already published: 

1. Old We ver sleep, by Walter Fenton. 

2. Locomotive Bill, by Samuel Keene. 

3. The Unknown Scout, by Zeke Baxter. 

4. The League of Blue, by Paul Spry, 

5. "27;" or, The House of Many Doors, by Philip 

Murdock. 

6. Young Lynx, the Amateur Detective, by Rich- 

ard R. Montgomery. 

7. The Phantom of the "Waves, by Alexander Arm- 

strong. 

8. The Twin Boy Scouts, by Percy B. St. John. 

9. Sumter's Aide, by Capt. Geo. Granville, U. S. A. 

10. The Young Sharpshooters of the Rebellion, by 

Col. Ralph Fenton. 

11. From Drummer Boy to General, by Richard 

R. Montgomery. 

12. The Drummer Boy Spy, by Ralph Morton. 

13. Union Dick, by Philip Murdock. 

14. Lazy Jake, the Boy Spy of the Rebellion, by 

Col. Ralph Fenton. 

15. Union Dick in the Rebel Camp, by Philip Mur- 

dock. 

16. The Brand of the Desert, by "Walter Fenton. 

17. Pinker ton's Boy Detectives, by Jas. D. Montague 

18. Blue Cap; or, The Australian Dick Turpin. 

19. Barnum's Boy Ben, by Commodore Ah-Look. 

20. Yankee Bob, by Ralph Morton. 

21. Joe Ready, by Richard R. Montgomery. 

22. The Boy Swordsman, by Percy B. St. John. 

23. Daddy Durge, the Old Man of the Dead-House, 

by "Walter Fenton. 

24. Union Dick and the Guerrillas, by Pliilip Mur- 

dock. 

25. Cavalry Jack, by Col. Ralph Fenton. 



For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent, to yonr address, post- 
paid, on receipt of price, 5 cents per copy. Address 

FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

Box 3730. 34 and 36 NORTH MOORE ST., N V< 



OUR COMIC BOOKS. 



FUN, LAUGHTER AND AMUSEMENT FOR EVERYBODY 



"these books are superior to any that have ever been published. 



CONSULT THE FOLLOWING LIST: 

GOING TO THE COUNTRY by "Bricktop".. Price 10c 

RED HOT by « Bricktop ". .Price 10c. 

A QUIET FOURTH OF JULY.. .by "Bricktop ». .Price 10c. 
GOOD TEMPLARS EXPOSE©... by "Bricktop "..Price 10c. 

ON A JURY by " Bricktop". .Price 10c. 

MY WIFE'S MOTHER by "Bricktop *». .Price 10c. 

THE BALD-HEADED CLUB.... by "Bricktop". .Price 10c. 

OUR SERVANT GIRLS by "Bricktop "..Price 10c. 

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?.... by "Bricktop ". .Price 10c. 

DODGING A CREDITOR by "Ed" Price 10c. 

SHORTS (original humor) Price 10c. 

SMILES (entirely new) '. Price 10c. 

MRS. S.NOODLES' CURTAIN LECTURES. Price 10c. 

POUNDS OF FUN Price 10c. 

THE TICKLER Price 10c 

Every book is handsomely illustrated by the best comic artists* 
Any one of them is a sure cure for the blues. For sale by all news' 
dealers, or sent to your address, prepaid, on receipt of price, ten cent? 
each. Address 

FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

Box 2730. 34 ard 36 North Moore St., IT. Y, 



Frank Tousey's 

BY-THE-WAY SERIES, 

Containing five interesting and exciting works of fiction. Each book 
is handsomely bound in a beautifully-illustrated cover, and contains 
sixty-four pages of reading matter. Every book is a complete num- 
ber. Read the following titles: 

No. 1. VIOLA'S REVENGE Price 10c. 

No. 2. A YEAR OUT OF MY LIFE Price 10c. 

No. 3. A CAPTIVES CAPTIVE Price 10c. 

No. 4. THE BROKEN SIXPENCE Price 10c. 

No. 5 LADY INNOCENCE Price 10c. 

For sale by every newsdealer in the United States and Canada, or we 
will send them to you, postage free, on receipt of the price. Address 



FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher, 

; ai 



Box 3?£A o 94 ^nd 36 North Moore St.. N. Y* 



*r 



OUR 10 CENT BOOK 



USEFUL, INSTRUCTIVE AND AMUSES U. 

Containing valuable information on almost every sn bject. such asWritin 
Speaking, Dancing, Flirting, Cooking; also. Rules of Kt.quette, Tl 
Art of Ventriloquism, Gymnastic Exercise, and The Science ar 
Art of Self-Defense. 

READ THE FOLLOWING LIST: 
How to Behave . » 

How to Dress 
How to Play Games . 
How to Keep Birds 
How to Keep House . 
How to Make Love . . 

How to "Write Love Letters 
How to Explain Dreams 
How to Tell Fortunes 
How to Row, Sail and Build a Boat 
How to Keep and Manage Pets 
How to Become a Magician . 
How to Do It . 
How to Do Tricks 
How to Write Letters 
How to Cook .... 

How to Entertain an Evening Party 
How to Become Beautiful . 
How to Flirt , . . . 

How to Become a Ventriloquist . 
How to Bourne Rich . 

Ho«s to Box .... 

How to Dance . . 

How to Become an Athlete . . 

How to Become a Speaker . 

How to Play Cards . . . 

How to Hunt and Fish 
How to Become a Scientist . 
How to Become an Inventor 
The Boys of New York Minstrel Guidv 

Book ..... 
The Shortys' Snaps . 
The Shortys' Jokes 
Muldoon's Jokes 
Frank Tousey's United States Distance 

Pocket Companion and Guide 
Ireland's Struggles for Liberty and land 

All the above books are tor sale by newsdealers throughout the Unin 
States and Canada; or they will be sent, postage paid, to your address, < 
receipt of 10 cents each. 

Frank Tousey, Publisher, 34 & 36 N.Moore St., N.I 



and Joke 



Tables, 



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£fet\ V,/ >:^¥a\ v,** * 








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